There aren’t a lot of legal provisions enacted in 1789 still on the books today. But the ones that are have stood the test of time because they absolutely serve the public interest.

One such provision is that the government be obligated to publish its bills, orders, resolutions and votes in a publicly available newspaper — a requirement dating back to the first Congress.

The purpose was to compel government to report its actions to its citizens in a medium independent of government influence.

Publishing public notices in a newspaper of record ensures decisions related to public debt, laws, policy, taxation and quality of life are made in the open.

It empowers the public to get involved. And it contributes to a reservoir of archived material in a form that cannot be altered, changed, hacked, hidden or manipulated after the fact.

Those principles will be compromised, however, if the state Legislature adopts SB-5360 and HB-1478, which would permit local governments to post notices only to their own self-maintained websites rather than a designated newspaper.

Simply put, the objective of transparency in government is ill-served by a law that would make public officials the gatekeeper of their own information.

Advocates point to the convenience and cost savings of posting the notices online rather than in print. The problem is, there are still those who lack access to the Internet; meanwhile, newspapers, including the Renton Reporter, publish legals online for free in addition to the paid in-print version. So for a nominal fee, governments are currently getting twice the exposure they would if the new laws were passed.

This isn’t about saving money. Nor is it about protecting a source of revenue for newspapers. It’s about preserving public access to the legislative process and continuing to provide a service without which fewer — rather than more — would know what their elected leaders are up to.

Let your legislators know they have an obligation to protect your right to know.

Green light to red-light camera

What’s worse?

Blow through a red light and get a $124 ticket.

Or

Blow through a red light and kill a mom and her kids and probably yourself.

Sadly, both those scenarios happen somewhere every day. What’s encouraging, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, is that red-light cameras like the ones set up in Renton are saving lives by making drivers aware of their risky behavior

That’s why it makes no sense for the state Legislature to chip away at local government’s red-light and speed-camera programs, including limiting the fines (to what we pay for a parking ticket) or possibly doing away with them altogether.

The consequence of t-boning someone is a lot worse than overstaying a parking spot.

A hearing was held Tuesday on some of the bills. That’s about as far as they deserve to go. The City of Renton is already on record as opposing any changes to the programs, which have reduced collisions and speeding in the city.

We’re all for government efficiency and for wise use of our tax dollars, especially those that save lives. The answer is simple. If you don’t want to pay the $124 fine, then don’t break the law.