ACTION ALERT
Some Missouri legislators are trying to push through Senate Bill 741 and hoping you don't notice. We need you to call your state representative and state senator.
Senate Bill 741 would drastically weaken Missouri's Sunshine Law. It would let our government hide more public records from the public and charge us more money to access those records.
They want to:
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Add in exorbitant redaction fees that government officials can use to put up a paywall to public transparency;
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Increase wait times for public records; and
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Make less legislative records available to the public.
Ever since we won a huge victory for transparency unanimously at Missouri's Supreme Court last year, our own government officials have been hard at work trying to reverse that win for the People of Missouri. They even made a PowerPoint presentation about how to hide more records from us on our dime.
Here's what we need to do:
CALL
Take just a minute to call your state senator and state representative. Tell them that you support Missouri's Sunshine Law and want them to vote No on Senate Bill 741.
Don't know who your representatives are in the state legislature? Look them up in seconds!
SHARE
Share this graphic and the website SaveMOSunshine.org on social media and with your friends.
WRITE
Write Letters to the Editor, emails, and online posts about why government transparency is important to you and why our legislators should VOTE NO ON SB 741.
The only way we save our Sunshine Law is if we do it ourselves. The Sunshine Law passed with bipartisan support almost 50 years ago. Back then, our government officials understood how important transparency and accountability were to a functioning Missouri and America.
But today, too many of our elected officials believe they know better than the rest of us, that we shouldn't have a voice in our government, that the corruption citizens all over our state have uncovered should be left in the shadows.
If you believe our government ought to belong to us, it's time to get to work for Missouri. Make the call to your officials right now.
Missouri's Sunshine Law protects your right to see what your government is doing, and it has done so for almost 50 years. The law allows any Missourian to attend public meetings and access public records held by our government.
Recently, some of our elected officials have used public money to deny public access to public records. In 2021, after three years of government obstruction, Missouri's Supreme Court ruled unanimously against the state and in favor of the People of Missouri.
The Court said that our government cannot charge members of the public huge fees before we can see what our government is doing. Previously, some government agencies would charge thousands of dollars in attorneys' fees to deter regular folks from accessing public records.
Unfortunately, a few politicians in Missouri oppose transparency and are trying to destroy Missouri's Sunshine Law. They've proposed serious changes to the law that would reverse Missouri's Supreme Court and allow governments at all levels - from school board to the Governor's office - to deny us access to our records.
A reporter's Sunshine Request uncovered that Missouri's Governor - who lost at the Supreme Court - is now trying to change the law so that few Missourians will be able to access public records.
"These changes benefit political subdivisions, the legislature, and state government."
So much for benefiting Missourians.
Missouri's Sunshine Law promotes transparency so we can hold our elected officials accountable to us. We cannot let these politicians benefit themselves and lock us out of our government.
We need Missourians to stand together, folks from all backgrounds and political parties who share one common belief: Our government belongs to us.
My name is Elad Gross. I am the attorney who defeated the government at Missouri's Supreme Court in 2021. I need your help to beat the enemies of transparency. Please consider signing up below. I promise not to spam your inbox or give your information to anyone else. Unlike some of our politicians, I'm not for sale, and Missouri shouldn't be either.
We need YOU to save our Sunshine Law!
Sign up below.
Why the Sunshine Law Is Important
About Us
Elad Gross
Elad Gross is a civil rights and government transparency attorney in Missouri. He litigated Missouri's recent Sunshine Law victory for the public, Gross v. Parson, from trial to the Missouri Supreme Court. He has litigated several major civil rights and Sunshine Law cases, and he regularly opposes government abuse of power.
Elad has also been highly involved in Missouri's legislative process, helping pass a fix to Missouri's criminal code, proposing a statewide ban on hidden campaign contributions, and preventing a previous assault on Missouri's Sunshine Law.
You!
Protect transparency in Missouri.