Summary of Missouri Sunshine Law
Missouri’s commitment to openness in government is clearly stated in Section 610.011 of the Sunshine Law: “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. Sections 610.010 to 610.200 shall be liberally construed and their exceptions strictly construed to promote this public policy.”
The law sets out the specific instances when a meeting, record or vote may be closed, while stressing these exceptions are to be strictly interpreted to promote the public policy of openness.
Public meetings, including meetings conducted by telephone, Internet or other electronic means, are to be held at reasonably convenient times and must be accessible to the public. Meetings should be held in facilities that are large enough to accommodate anticipated attendance by the public and accessible to persons with disabilities.
Index
Public governmental bodies and quasi-public governmental bodies
- Public governmental bodies 610.010(4)
- Sunshine policy 610.028
- Meeting Notices 610.020
- Public Records 610.010, 610.023, 610.024, 610.026
- E-mails among members of public bodies 610.025
- Closed meetings and records 610.021, 610.022
- Who can bring legal action 610.027
- Penalties 610.027
Law enforcement agency records
Public governmental bodies and quasi-public governmental bodies
Public governmental bodies 610.010(4)
The Sunshine Law governs the actions of public governmental bodies, which are defined as legislative, administrative or other governmental entities created by the constitution or statutes of this state, or by order or ordinance of any political subdivision or district as well as judicial entities when operating in an administrative capacity.
This includes not just state agencies and officials, but also governing bodies of institutions of higher education; and any department of any political subdivision of the state, county or municipal government, school district or special-purpose district, including sewer and water districts. The term “governmental body” is defined to include “quasi-public governmental bodies,” which are defined in Section 610.010(4)(f). Those entities that regularly enter into contracts with public governmental bodies or perform certain types of public functions (such as issuing tax credits) should review this definition to determine whether they must comply with the Sunshine Law.
The Missouri Sunshine Law governs only state, local and quasi-public governmental bodies. Federal officers and agencies are covered by the federal Freedom of Information Act.
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Sunshine policy 610.028
Each public governmental body shall provide a reasonable written policy consistent with the Sunshine Law and open to the public regarding access to public records and meetings.
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Meeting Notices 610.020
At least 24 hours (excluding weekends and holidays) before a public meeting, the public body must prominently post a notice of the meeting in its principal office. If there is no such office, the public body should post the notice at the meeting place. The notice must include:
- Time of meeting;
- Date of meeting;Place of meeting;
- Tentative agenda of an open meeting; and
- Whether the meeting is open or closed.
If the public body intends to hold a meeting by conference call or other electronic means, the notice must specify the location where the public may observe and attend that meeting. If the public body meets via Internet or other computer link, it shall post a notice on its Web site in addition to posting the notice at its principal office.
If exceptional circumstances prevent the public body from posting notice 24 hours in advance or prevent the meeting from being held at a convenient time or in a place reasonably accessible to the public, the reasons should be stated in the meeting’s minutes.
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Public Records 610.010, 610.023, 610.024, 610.026
Unless otherwise provided by law, records of a public governmental body are to be open and available to the public for inspection and copying. The governental body may charge up to 10 cents per page for standard copies and the actual cost of the copy for larger or specialized documents (such as maps, photos and graphics). The body also may charge a reasonable fee for the time necessary to search for and copy public records. Research time may be charged at the actual cost incurred to locate the requested records. Copying time shall not exceed the average hourly rate of pay for clerical staff of the public body. A public body may reduce or waive costs when it determines the request is made in the public interest and is not made for commercial purposes.
The term “public record” includes records created or maintained by private contractors under an agreement with a public governmental body or on behalf of a public governmental body.
Each public governmental body must appoint a custodian of records. The Sunshine Law requires that each request for access to a public record be acted on no later than the end of the third business day following the date the request is received by the custodian. If access is denied, the custodian must explain in writing and must include why access is denied, including the statute that authorizes the denial.
If only part of a record may be closed to review, the rest of the record must be made available.
The law also requires that if a request is made in a particular format, the custodian shall provide the records in that format if it is available.
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E-mails among members of public bodies 610.025
If a member of a public body transmits an e-mail relating to public business to at least two other members of the body so that, when counting the sender, a majority of members are copied, a copy of the e-mail shall be sent to either the custodian of records, or the member’s public office computer. Any such message, subject to the exceptions of Section 610.021, shall be considered a public record upon receipt by the custodian or at the public member’s computer.
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Closed meetings and records 610.021, 610.022
A public governmental body is permitted, but not required, to close its meetings, records and votes when they relate to certain issues listed in Section 610.021. When a public body relies on one of these exceptions to close a meeting or record, it should bear in mind that the exceptions are to be read narrowly under Section 610.011. Matters that may be closed include:
- Legal actions, causes of action or litigation (except that votes, minutes and settlement agreements must be opened to the public on final disposition, unless ordered closed by a court).
- Leasing, purchase or sale of real estate where public knowledge might adversely affect the amount paid in the transaction.
- Hiring, firing, disciplining or promoting a particular employee.
- Welfare cases of identifiable individuals.
- Software codes for electronic data processing.
- Individually identifiable personnel records.
- Records related to existing or proposed security systems.
- Records that are protected from disclosure by other laws.
When a public governmental body votes to meet in closed session, members must cite in open session the specific statute and subsection allowing closure. Once in closed session, the public body may not discuss any matter beyond the scope of the stated reason for the closed session. The public governmental body must close only that portion of the facility necessary for its members to conduct the closed meeting, allowing space for the public to remain and attend any later open session.
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Who can bring legal action 610.027
Any Missouri taxpayer, citizen or aggrieved person, the Attorney General, or the county prosecutor may bring a court action to enforce the Sunshine Law. The lawsuit must be filed in the circuit court in the county where the public governmental body has its principal place of business. A lawsuit must be filed within one year from when the violation is ascertainable, and in no event shall it be brought later than two years after the violation occurred.
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Penalties 610.027
If the court finds a public governmental body has violated the Sunshine Law, it may declare void any action taken in violation of the law. If the court finds, by a preponderance of evidence, that the public body or a member of the public body has knowingly violated the Sunshine Law, the court:
- Shall subject the member or body to a civil fine of up to $1,000; and
- May order the member or body to pay all costs and reasonable attorney fees to any party successfully establishing a violation.
If the court finds, by a preponderance of evidence, that the public body or member has purposely violated the Sunshine Law, the court shall:
- Subject the member or body to a civil fine of up to $5,000; and
- Order the member or body to pay all court costs and reasonable attorney fees.
If a public governmental body has any doubt about the legality of closing a particular meeting, record or vote, it may bring suit in the circuit court to determine whether the action is proper or it may seek a formal opinion from its own attorney or from the Attorney General.
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Law Enforcement Agency Records
Law enforcement agency records 610.100-610.200
Law enforcement records are subject to separate provisions of the Sunshine Law. The law now provides, however, that law enforcement records are subject to the same presumption of openness that applies to other public records (Section 610.011).
In addition, an agency or officer who knowingly or purposely violates the Sunshine Law is subject to the same monetary penalties set out in Section 610.027.
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