Buzz from New York Heard on the Bayou

The Bayou Buzz, coming at you from way down in Louisiana, reminded us that the first part of Governor Spitzer’s Executive Order 3 is coming into effect tomorrow.

Executive Order 3 stipulates that by March 1st all agencies and public authorities have to submit to the Governor a list of all of their meetings that are covered under the Open Meetings Law. Along with the list, they must come up with a plan for making broadcasts of those meetings available on the internet. Unless an exemption is granted, all meetings are required to be broadcast on the internet by July 1st.

Finally, to add a little accountability to the mix (rare for Albany, we know), the agencies and authorities will have to submit records by December 31st of the meetings they broadcast and include any public comments and any recommendations for improvement to the program.

We’ll definitely keep our eyes peeled for movement on this. Get it right, and maybe we’ll be the envy of the whole country, not just Louisiana.