Why in Gods name would ANYONE not want to have all meetings subject to public scrutiny???????
If everything was open and in the "sunshine" we would most likley not be having any of the childish arguments about Walker/Unions/State Employees that fill this board each day.
THIS IS GOOD FOR EVERYONE!!!

Hey JohnDoe, read more carefully. I didn't say such a bill has never been offered before. Bills like this pop up often, especially from politicians on the minority side of the isle. The fact is that Sen. Cullen knows very well that this bill is going nowhere. The time for Sen. Cullen to have gotten on board for such a bill was back when he was the leader of the Democrats in the Senate. But I'm sure he was far too busy running the Senate and conducting caucus meetings in secret to waste his time supporting frivolous bills like this one.

Why do I think no one in office on either political side wants such a bill to ever become law? Consider what could have happened if this bill were law at the beginning of this year. The Democrats in the Senate while in caucus would have decided to abscond to Rockford rather that allow a quorum for Governor Walker's bill to be voted on. Since the caucus was open to the public, the Governor knows what the Democrats are planning, so that as soon as the caucus meeting adjourns, the capitol police are ready to escort the Democrats into the session they are required to attend to vote on the bill they wanted to prevent by running away. Do you really think Sen. Cullen's fellow Democrats want such a bill to ever become law? They just want an opportunity to cynically and hypocritically declare the Republican majority immoral for opposing "sunshine" in government.

Now I could call those who find fault with my reasoning such things as ignorant, or maybe too simplistic to comprehend my "advanced" powers of comprehension but then I'd be just as self-serving and arrogant as those who seem all to eager to disqualify by derogation those with whom they disagree. Besides, the Gazette has far too many posters who think a clever derogation is all one needs to disqualify an opposing argument no matter how well thought out.

ha. thats funny johndoe. i sooo love when ignorance is highlighted:)

Tim Cullen, Sunshine, makes sense to me!

Tim Cullen has good practical ideas for government.

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Hey bill, do your homework.

This same bill was introduced in a previous legislative session, by a Democrat but did not pass.

So, your statements do not hold water....as usual.

Why would Tim Cullen think anyone cares what he says or thinks? He ran away to Rockford because the Dems no longer had the majority and he knew he wasn't going to like the outcome of the vote. Boo hoo! Be a man and do your job! You are a disgrace.

Tim cullen is now irrelevant in state politics. His opinion does not matter to dems or repubs anymore. Retire and go back to sleep.

Even tho I don't agree with the actions of taking off....I still like the Idea. But I don't have much faith this one will go far. Too bad.

Interesting move by the Democrats, nw that it would be to their advantage to have such a law in effect at this time. Now that the Democrats aren't running everything, they want caucus meetings, which are essentially strategy meetings, open to the pubic. A year ago they didn't want that kind of sunshine, but now they do. I'd bet that if they take back control in the future, they'd quickly and quietly repeal this law should they get the Republicans to pass it through this year. It's one thing to want a legal right to know what the Republicans plan to do before they try to do it, but its quite another thing to let the Republicans know what a Democratic majority wants to do before they try to do it. They wouldn't want that to be allowed.

So much for the idea that Tim Cullen isn't just another partisan politician.

Is it called that in reference to the sunshine that the politicians on both sides of the aisle keep trying to blow up our hind ends?

Will these meetings be held in Madison or Rockford?

are these groups currently exempt from the open meetings law. if so why? or is this just a pile on, knee jerk deal.