Ulysses Jones On Open Meetings

PRESS CONTACT: Addison Pate 26A Legislative Plaza Nashville, TN 37243 (615) 741-6620 [email protected]

ULYSSES JONES, JR. STATE REPRESENTATIVE HOUSE DISTRICT 98 SHELBY COUNTY

Tennessee House of Representatives For Immediate Release: October 24, 2007

Jones Sees Progress on Sunshine Laws Representative looking forward to continued discussions on open meetings policy

Nashville, TN—On Tuesday, the Joint Subcommittee on Open Meetings voted to recommend a change to Tennessee’s current Sunshine Laws. Offered by State Representative Ulysses Jones, Jr. (D-Memphis), the change focuses specifically on the number of elected officials required to constitute an open meeting, replacing the current “two member” standard with a “quorum.” “I believe this recommendation is a necessary change in order to allow elected officials to adequately do their jobs,” said Jones. “Elected leaders cannot be effective legislators if they are afraid of talking policy and issue with each other for fear of lawsuit.” Current Tennessee Law (T.C.A. 8-44-102) states that when two or more “members, with the authority to make decisions for recommendations to a public body” are together and discussing policy, that the public has the right to be present. Under the approved recommendation, two or more members would be replaced with a “quorum of members.” “Thirty-seven other states currently use the quorum process to define meetings as public and open,” said Jones. “What we have now is far more confusing, but with this change the process of having open meetings can be much more black and white.” Tuesday’s meeting ran for nearly five hours and was ended due to time. The subcommittee will continue to hold meetings to review open meeting policy and make final recommendations later next year.

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