Every year in mid-March, we recognize a week to celebrate the importance of open government and access to public information. Sunshine Week, which this year runs from March 10 to 16, promotes open meetings and open records – topics that have long been near and dear to me.
Since taking office last year, openness in government has been a top priority of mine, and I have been committed to aggressively enforcing Oklahoma’s Open Meetings and Open Records Acts. It is my belief that government functions best when it is fully accountable to its people – and accountability is only possible when we ensure transparency.
My first action was to focus on my own agency. At the time of my swearing in, the Office of the Attorney General had a backlog of 66 open records requests, many of which dated back years. My team quickly went to work clearing that backlog within two months. Since that time, we have fulfilled 200 additional requests.
In addition, I added the position of a public access counselor to my office. Former State Sen. Anthony Sykes serves in this role and helps make sure that state agencies are acting in compliance with our open meetings and open records laws. Since March 2023, we received 174 complaints about open records and meetings violations. Of those complaints, approximately 130 have been resolved. A bill pending in the state legislature this session seeks to strengthen the public access counselor role. In the meantime, anyone who believes a governmental entity is failing to comply with these laws can notify my office at [email protected].
Last fall, my office was delighted to partner with the Oklahoma Press Association (OPA) for a traveling Open Meetings and Open Records seminar series. Deputy General Counsel Thomas Schneider and OPA Director Mark Thomas travelled across the state to help educate more than 900 Oklahomans about these laws. The roadshow kicked off in Lawton in September and included stops in Tulsa, Enid, McAlester and Oklahoma City. Attendance for the 2023 seminars almost doubled from 2022 attendance records, and I hope participation continues to grow exponentially this coming year.
My focus on openness and transparency recently earned recognition from a group called Freedom of Information Oklahoma. The award is called the Sunshine Award and is bestowed annually to a public official who demonstrates a commitment to open meetings and open records. While I do not take any action to receive accolades, I am humbled that those on the front lines of governmental transparency have recognized my efforts on this subject.
Our nation was founded on the principles of openness and transparency in government. They remain at the center of our national identity. Oklahomans absolutely deserve the opportunity to hold their government accountable. I will always fight for a state government that conducts itself openly and honestly and to ensure that public officials are held accountable to those they serve.
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