By Staff
On Saturday, Oct. 1, Alabama's new Sunshine Law, the "Alabama Open Meetings Act" will go into effect.
Previously, Alabama's Sunshine Law was vague on many aspects because most details of the law were not set forth in statues.
Rather, public officials and the press often had to wait on Court interpretations of the law before understanding their rights and obligations.
According to a statement by Alabama Attorney General Troy King, with the passage of Alabama's new Sunshine Law, a huge step has been taken in bringing about the kind of transparency and openness in government that leads to public confidence in its operation. The new law brings greater clarity and requires unprecedented openness.
The Escambia County Commission and officials from the cities of Brewton and East Brewton have been regularly attending seminars on the law, and have already gone one step further and put the new Act into effect, showing that they are confident and willing to comply with the new guidelines, as well as other organizations throughout the county.
A full version of the Act can be obtained on-line through the Alabama Secretary of State's Web site at http://arc-sos.state.al.us/CGI/sosact02.mbr/input.