State Rep. Vince Dean, R-East Ridge, and state Sen. Bo Watson, R-Hixson, have done the right thing for their constituents and all other residents of Chattanooga and Hamilton County. They delayed action on their proposed legislation that would have allowed both Chattanooga and Hamilton County governments to publish mandatory legal notices on their websites rather than in traditional and far more accessible newspapers of general circulation.
Dean and Watson effectively have tabled their proposal for the year by moving it to “summer study,” an arcane phraseology of Tennessee legislative bodies.
Whether the bill actually will be studied in the summer is moot. The truth is that the poorly conceived and politically motivated legislation is dead in the water for the remainder of the year. It could come back to life in 2012. It should not.
The proposal and similar ones introduced this year are detrimental to the public interest. They would promote secrecy in government, thereby eliminating or sharply reducing the hard-earned transparency that is vital to efficient and fair governance.
Governments here and elsewhere say that their websites are fully accessible and their use would save money. Not true.