Please Support Delaware's HB 126

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) needs to be improved to open the operations of the University of Delaware and Delaware State University to more public scrutiny. Many important decisions that affect the students and the public are now being carried out behind closed doors and hidden from the view of the people.
Over the past 35 years, there have been many reforms to government in Delaware to open the proceedings of municipalities, counties and the state to the sunshine laws.
The exceptions to these efforts have been the University of Delaware and the Delaware State University.
Efforts by other states have been more successful to provide the public with the right to know. According to the Sunshine Review, the states with the weakest laws are Pennsylvania, Delaware and Alaska. Pennsylvania, after the Penn State scandal, is in the process of strengthening their law for more transparency. Delaware should do the same.
UD has been circumventing the FOIA by pushing major decisions that affect the students and citizens of the State of Delaware to standing committees. These committees are exempt from the current wording of the FOIA. This has turned a process that should be transparent into one rife with misunderstanding and distrust. A fine example is the continuing controversy over the eliminating of the men’s cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field teams.
More, not less openness is the foundation of our democracy. Please, move HB 126 forward on our behalf. Give the people of Delaware the right to know how their hard-earned tax money is being spent.
Thank you.