Before the Rhode Island General Assembly are two bills that serve the public and improve transparency in government. Both were heard before a House committee this week, and both are led by and supported by East Bay legislators.

House Bill 7305 brings extensive changes to the state’s Access to Public Records Act. It cleans up areas of state law where vague interpretations have led to outcomes not favorable to the public or the interests of open government.

It requires that documents discussed at an open meeting be available to the public at that meeting, and be posted with the electronic filing of that meeting’s agenda.

It makes public subpoenas that are issued to government agencies or government officials acting in their official capacity.

It allows more flexibility in how someone requests a public record, and in how a government agency releases a public record.

It brings more clarity to what comprises an official police arrest report. It places police-worn body cameras under the purview of the public records law. It makes accident data and crash reports public records.

It tries to prevent the government from burying public records in contracts or relationships with third-party, private entities.

It reduces the costs for an individual requesting public records. It increases the fines for government bodies that knowingly and willfully violate the law.

The bill was introduced by Rep. Jason Knight of Barrington and Warren, and it is co-sponsored by Reps. June Speakman of Bristol and Warren and Terri Cortvriend of Portsmouth and Middletown. It has been submitted to the General Assembly for the past four years, and it has never made it out of committee. It is a good bill, submitted by a coalition of “good government” watchdogs who are working in the best interests of the public Hopefully this year it receives the respect it deserves.

House Bill 7676 was heard for the first time this week, and hopefully it too gets a favorable reception. It would bring common-sense and obvious improvements to the state’s Open Meetings Act, codifying many of the good practices that have taken hold since the pandemic.

The biggest change would be allowing governmental “advisory bodies” to meet remotely. There is a lengthy definition of what constitutes an advisory body, and there are lengthy descriptions of the proper procedures and guardrails for ensuring a meeting remains open, accessible and participatory for the public.

The bill also requires that all city and town councils and school committees must livestream their meetings by next year. Most councils and school committees are already doing this, but this would make live-streaming a legal requirement.

Of the two bills, this is the simplest and most digestible. It would make public meetings more accessible than they have ever been under state law, once again leading to a more open and transparent government.