Deadline for Sunshine Thursday 26th

Now I have names!

Listed below are the Representatives that are holding up a bill that will require the South Carolina General Assembly to be subject to the same sunshine laws as every other government agency in the state!

Disclosure is critical to accountability and transparency!

Currently, members of the General Assembly are exempt from the Freedom of Information Act and are not required to disclose their documents to the public.

There are 27 members of the House that want to keep it that way!

That’s right! These Representatives have “requested debate” on H3235, a bill that will eliminate the legislative exemption from the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act.

Each of them is listed below with their contact information.

“Requesting debate” is a procedural move that puts this bill on the contested calendar and makes it much more difficult to get it scheduled for a vote!

Thursday, April 26th is our last chance to get a vote on this bill. I’ll explain why below.

Contact these Representatives and tell them to “Withdraw their request for debate” TODAY!

Tell them not to come home until the do.

This is critical to creating true accountability!

Ask them why they want to hide their e-mails, letters, memo’s and documents from the public?

Is there any other reason to delay this bill?

If they don’t want to hide from the public, then they must support passing this bill Thursday, April 26th.

So, we’ve got to act fast if we are going to get it done this year.

You see, May 1st is the “cross over” deadline. Any bill not passed by either the SC House or the SC Senate by that date will not be passed into law this year.

And Thursday, April 26th is the last day the House meets before the deadline.

So contact these House members TODAY and tell them “Withdraw their request for debate”.

That will move the bill to the uncontested calendar and get it a vote on Thursday.

You can find your House member and his contact information at this link.

South Carolina’s FOIA law requires that all government agencies turn over their documents when requested by the public. This is a critical tool for exposing corruption, influence and graft.

However, South Carolina’s legislature wrote an exemption to this law for their selves.

They are the only government agency in all of South Carolina that is not required to follow that law. That includes county and city governments, school boards, and all the hosts of boards and commissions at every level of government.

Even the Governor is not exempt from the FOIA law.

I guess the legislature wants to protect their cult of secrecy and back room dealing.

Well, that is about to change, if H3235 becomes law!

H3235 will eliminate the legislative exemption in the SC FOIA law.

They will be required to hand over their letters, e-mails, and documents just the same as all the rest of South Carolina’s governments and agencies.

And why shouldn’t they?

Any legislator who fights against this bill just wants to protect the status quo!

There is no good reason for a legislator to refuse to disclose their papers!

Make sure you contact the House members on the list below and tell them to “Withdraw their request for debate”.

We only have until Thursday April 26th to get this bill passed out of the House and into the Senate.

SO CALL TODAY!

Let’s don’t miss the cross over date.

Contact your South Carolina House member today!

Tell him to make sure there is a vote on H3235 Thursday April 26th!

And, make sure he votes for the bill!

Don’t take NO for an answer!

Thanks for all you do!

Best regards,

Talbert Black, Jr.

P.S. H3235 will remove the ridiculous exemption that the legislature wrote for themselves that allows them to hide their letters, e-mails, and other documents from public examination. These documents are critical to investigations of corruption, influence and graft.

Every other body of government in the state of South Carolina must obey the Freedom of Information Act. If H3235 becomes law, the legislature will also have to obey this law. Contact the House members listed below and tell them to “Withdraw your request for debate”. Thursday April 26th is the deadline. We have no time to waste!

Contact the Representatives below and tell them to “Withdraw their request for debate on H3235”.

Note: If the e-mail address doesn’t work you can click on the name and use their House web contact form.

Anderson (803) 734-2933 CarlAnderson@SCHouse.gov

Barfield (803) 734-3107 ListonBarfield@schouse.gov

Brantley (803) 734-2965 CurtisBrantley@schouse.gov

G.A. Brown (803) 734-2934 GradyBrown@schouse.gov

R.L. Brown (803) 734-3170 RobertBrown@schouse.gov

Cobb-Hunter (803) 734-2809 GildaCobbHunter@schouse.gov

Cole (803) 212-6790 DerhamCole@schouse.gov

Gambrell (803) 734-2947 MikeGambrell@schouse.gov

Gilliard (803) 212-6793 WendellGilliard@schouse.gov

Hart (803) 734-3061 ChrisHart@schouse.gov