On notice: Legislature’s surprise move would darken government transparency in KY

There are always plenty of nefarious tricks hidden away in the General Assembly’s budget bills, but this time around, House Republicans lobbed a stealth bomb that would destroy an important public compact between the government and the people who elect them — the public’s right to know.

On Friday, Rep. Steve Rudy inserted language into the House revenue bill that would end a requirement that governments and public agencies place public notices into local newspapers to tell citizens about proposed action on all manner of public business, from tax rates to building projects and much more. Instead, under this language, these public agencies could stick such important public notices anywhere on their own web sites. The public could easily be kept out of the loop.