Elected officials encouraged to attend Sunshine Law presentation in Maryville

The Northwest University Police department is hosting a public meeting on the topic of the Missouri Sunshine Law on Tuesday, July 30 in the Hughes Fieldhouse on the Northwest Missouri State campus.

There are two sessions available: 9 am to 12:30 pm or 1:30 to 5 pm.

The Missouri Sunshine Law was introduced in the General Assembly as Senate Bill 1 in 1973. With the passage of Senate Bill 1, Missouri became one of the earliest advocates of ensuring meetings and records would be open to the public throughout the state.

Missouri’s commitment to openness in government is clearly stated in § 610.011, RSMo, of the Sunshine Law: “It is the public policy of this state that meetings, records, votes, actions, and deliberations of public governmental bodies be open to the public unless otherwise provided by law. Sections 610.010 to 610.020 shall be liberally construed and their exceptions strictly construed to promote this public policy.”

The presenter at the meeting will be Casey Lawrence, who was designated the director of Sunshine Law compliance and records management in 2017 for the Missouri Attorney General’s office.

Prior to that, Lawrence served as the office’s Sunshine Law coordinator from 2013-17. Before her time with the Attorney General’s office, she worked for the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office as a state records analyst from 2009-13.

The Missouri Attorney General’s Office reviews complaints submitted by members of the public regarding the Missouri Sunshine Law.

This presentation will address the most common issues elected bodies face with the Sunshine Law.

Attendees should RSVP to police@nwmissouri.edu or 660.562.1254.