With the July 1 start of the new state fiscal year,Mississippians have a new tool to use in keeping up with governmentgoings on.

Government entities now have seven working days to respond to openrecords requests from the public. Previously, the time frame was 14days, a ridiculously lengthy amount of time in today’stechnological age.

Complex requests can still be allowed 14 days for a response, butthe general rule is seven days.

The reduction in response time is significant because it will allowcitizens to better interact with their elected or appointed leadersand have more timely input on important matters of the day. Byhaving to wait 14 days to see a public record, citizens faced thepossibility of a government decision being made before they evenhad a chance to familiarize themselves with the topic ofdiscussion.

The primary purpose and benefit of the law change, however, is thepromotion of good government through open government. And in thiscase, sooner is better.