The News Journal: Several more lawmakers deserve applause for passing FOIA bill

The News Journal
Thursday, June 4, 2009

It has been a good week for champions of the public's right to know in the General Assembly.


It has taken Democratic Sen. Karen Peterson nearly eight years to get a bill passed that puts the Delaware Legislature under the same open-government regulations required by virtually every other government in the state. 


The Legislature exempted itself nearly 20 years ago after some lawmakers were agitated over having to vet their frustrations in public.


It's been a tough battle for Sen. Peterson because several of the legislators who voted to exempt the Legislature are still serving. The Senate president pro tem alone has stifled passage of the legislation three times by refusing to schedule a committee hearing on it.


This time around, however, Sen. Peterson risked the wrath of her caucus leadership by petitioning the bill out of committee and suspending the rules to vote on House Bill 1.


But she knew what she was doing because the petition motion garnered the necessary 11 votes. While Sen. Peterson has rightfully been applauded as the leader behind this bill, we also want to recognize others without whom this legislation wouldn't have passed.


First, in the House, Speaker Bob Gilligan, who made it high on his priorities, said so and got it passed early, and Majority Leader Pete Schwartzkopf.


And then there are the 10 senators in addition to Sen. Peterson who broke with their party to petition the H.B. 1. They were Democratic Sens. Bob Marshall, George Bunting, Brian Bushweller, Margaret Rose Henry, Michael Katz and David Sokola. Republicans who joined them were Sens. Colin Bonini, Catherine Cloutier, Dori Connor and Liane Sorenson.


Those who deserve no recognition know who they are, and so will voters come Election Day.

CORRECTION:
Correction House Bill 1 was not brought out of committee by petition as stated in a Wednesday editorial. It received the required 11 votes for a rules suspension and was approved. June 5, 2009