The Missouri Sunshine Coalition is inviting citizens across the state to take a personal role in boosting awareness of the Sunshine Law and the benefits it affords to citizens from all walks of life. The coalition is marking Sunshine Week, March 12-18, with an appeal for nominations for its Sunshine Heroes recognition. Dennis Ellsworth, executive director, said leaders of the statewide coalition will select the 2023 honorees later this year based on nominations requested by April 30. Supporters are encouraged to think about private citizens, members of the legal profession, public officials, government employees, members of the media and any others who have distinguished themselves by using the Sunshine Law, fighting to preserve and improve it, or advocating for greater government transparency. Last year’s recipients included a private citizen who successfully challenged secrecy in his local government, a Jefferson City-based news organization focused on using the law in its coverage

This column is a call for help to each one of you.  All of you are interested in Missouri’s Sunshine Law and you are the ones we need over the next few weeks to help support it. You desperately need to pay attention here to what is about to happen. In 2023, the Missouri Sunshine Law will be 50 years old. The Missouri Sunshine Coalition is already beginning to plan activities to celebrate that important anniversary. The Missouri Press Association is working to have this important date recognized by resolution within the Missouri legislative bodies during this upcoming session. That all sounds well and good, but that is not the whole story. Legislators are hard at work on several bills as this session begins that would make severe inroads into the language of the present Sunshine Law. In their minds, guarantees of openness in the present law are harmful to