On Wednesday, the subcommittee that was assigned to hear them voted down two pieces of legislation. House Bill 1405 and House Bill 1438, both designed to significantly loosen the requirements for publication of public notices, were killed in a Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns subcommittee.

This is a significant win for those who value government transparency and accountability.

As we said Wednesday on this very page, any bill that allows the government to pick and choose the method by which it decides to communicate information to its citizens is one we cannot, and will not, support.

An unfitting end to good legislation

The same subcommittee on Wednesday approved a good piece of legislation, allowing it to move on to full committee. House Bill 1383 was written to give governing bodies who appoint individuals to a public board, commission or committee, the ability to remove that individual at any time. Friday morning, the full committee on Counties, Cities and Town defeated the measure by a vote of 16-5. Several members of various school boards spoke out against the bill, including a member of the Southampton County School Board.

This is a significant loss for those who value government accountability. We encourage Del. Rick Morris (R-Carrollton) to introduce the legislation for a third time next year, and encourage those who value government accountability to voice their support.