We applaud Gov. Bob Holden for signing legislation last week strengthening the Missouri Open Meetings and Records Law, also called the Sunshine Law.

It’s certainly no secret that we consider this state’s Sunshine Law one of the weakest in the nation. But the changes approved by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Holden, which are effective Aug. 28, are a step in the right direction to help ensure the public’s access to open meetings and records.

It should be noted that the Sunshine Law not only is important to the media, but it is important to everyone who wants to live in a democratic society in which our governmental officials meet and deliberate in public and citizens are ensured access to documents and records generated, compiled and/or retained by a governmental body.

Perhaps the most significant revisions of the Sunshine Law are provisions establishing up to a $1,000 penalty for a governmental official who knowingly violates the law and a $5,000 penalty for a purposeful violation of the law.

The Sunshine Law previously provided for fines of no more than $500 and only for purposeful violations.

Other provisions of the revised Sunshine Law include:

• That fees for copying public records shall not exceed 10 cents per page.

• That minutes be kept of closed meetings and retained by the governmental body.

• That if records are requested in a certain format, the governmental body shall provide the records in the requested format if such a format is available.

• That e-mail correspondence between a majority of the members of a public body be transmitted to the custodian of records and, upon request, be made available to the public.

• That law enforcement agencies no longer are prohibited from releasing accident or incident reports for 60 days.

Though Missouri’s Sunshine Law is weak, we can’t argue with its intent: “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.”

We certainly welcome the changes that have been signed into law and urge our legislators to continue to strengthen the Sunshine Law because everyone benefits from open and accessible government.