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• The Legislature is absolutely correct that it is wrong for the SDHSAA or any other state, county, school, or local board to be allowed to meet behind closed doors. However, the Legislature needs to live by the same standard.
• Hundreds of bills are considered each year by our State Legislature. There is one bill this year that would positively impact every future bill in the legislature. House Bill 1172 is a simple 30 word bill: Any gathering of a simple majority of either the South Dakota House of Representatives or the South Dakota Senate, meeting to discuss introduced legislation, shall be open to the public.
• Implementing simple quorum rules for the Legislature makes perfect sense. I've heard some legislators will oppose it because Representative Stace Nelson is one of the 19 sponsors and he has frustrated Republican leadership on other issues. Others will oppose it because they see it as "grandstanding by Democrats." I hope Legislators will look past the perceived motives, and see this bill for what it is: a simple, logical and long overdue rule to require the legislature to abide by the same rules all local governments in South Dakota are required to follow. 
• If the Legislature is serious about consistent open government, they'll support this bill wholeheartedly.
• The majority of the State House and State Senate have been meeting behind closed doors for a very long time and the discussion of this bill will likely also happen behind closed doors. Perhaps the bill needs some exceptions built in to allow the discussion of personnel matters, contractual matters and pending litigation like

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