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Reader question: Please explain “sunshine laws” in this sentence: Legislation promoting open government is referred to as sunshine laws. My comments: They’re called sunshine laws because they let the sun shine indoors, in the doors of a closed meeting of the government. Hence “sunshine laws” are synonymous with open government. First of all, sunshine laws are real laws. American states, for example, each has its own legislation (laws) requiring government agencies to disclose, among other things, meeting records to the public. Why do they do that? Because, because, putting it simple terms, the government is supposed to serve the people and the people want to know – they have a right to know. At the national or federal level, the US Freedom of Information Act, for example, is such a legislation that promotes sunshine and transparency in government. It is generally accepted that sunshine laws are known as sunshine laws because of Florida, which is the first state to establish a public-records law, back in 1909. Florida, situated as the southeast tip of the United States, is known (as the Sunshine State) for its sunshine, beaches and heat. It also helps that in 1967, Florida enacted an improvement on the original legislation aptly titled thus – Government-in-the-Sunshine Law. Hence and in short, laws promoting open government and transparency are known as sunshine laws, which, to use the sunlight analogy again, lights up the closed rooms of government, which is, after all, public domain. | 
