A proposed bill would improve citizen access to meeting agendas and board packets before public meeting by requiring they be publicly accessible, such as on a government website, for 48 hours before the meeting. The bill would also require that agendas "clearly describe the matters to be discussed" in an effort to avoid vague references to potential action.
In a major step toward more timely transparency, House Speaker Cameron Sexton announced a new public dashboard that gives citizens red-lined versions of bills and proposed amendments at the same time House members get them.
The Legislature passed comprehensive legislation closing several loopholes and adding more transparency and accountability to campaign finance reporting and ethics measures Thursday. House Speaker Cameron Sexton describes the bill as bringing money flows "from the dark into the light." One provision of the bill requires nonprofits organized under IRS code 501(c)(4), (5) and (6) to report expenditures related to a candidate during election periods, causing pushback from such groups, but the bill goes much farther than this one change.
A bill that would create big changes to Tennessee's campaign finance law is still on the table though differences between the House and Senate versions must be resolved before final passage.
The sponsors of legislation that would have rewritten laws regarding citizen access to body cam and dashcam footage decided not to run their bill this year.
