"As much as possible, the officeholders, boards, agencies and organizations that are covered by the Sunshine Law must keep public business public," Nixon said. "My office has taken an active role to ensure compliance with the Sunshine Law. We educate, mediate and, if necessary, litigate."
Nixon said that in 2005, attorneys from his office held 23 training sessions around the state to educate 1,184 public officials. Assistant attorneys general also took 652 inquiries last year from local government officials, citizens and members of the media with questions or concerns about open meetings or records. About half those inquiries were questions about the Sunshine Law that were answered by staff; the other half were concerns that were mediated by Nixon's office.
Another educational tool produced by the Attorney General's Office is a free 76-page booklet on the Sunshine Law, which is updated periodically to reflect changes in Missouri law, new court decisions dealing with the Sunshine Law, and new legal opinions issued by the Attorney General's Office on the Sunshine Law. Since last March, Nixon's office has distributed more than 20,000 copies of the booklet; copies may be obtained by calling 1-800-392-8222. The online version of the booklet also is frequently viewed and downloaded.
In the past year, Nixon's office also has brought legal actions to enforce the Sunshine Law. A lawsuit against the directors of the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority (MoHELA) currently is pending; Nixon is alleging that the directors violated the law during meetings in January 2006. In 2005, Nixon brought suit against St. Joseph Museum Inc., asking the Buchanan County Circuit Court to declare that the museum was subject to the Sunshine Law. The lawsuit was dismissed upon an agreement between Nixon and the museum board that the museum was subject to the law.
