The battle for passage of a federal information access law that culminated in the mid-sixties was nearly lost.

This ten minute overview describes the obstacles proponents confronted in securing passage of the federal Freedom of Information of Law.

Kentucky's open meetings and open records laws were enacted in the mid-seventies as states developed individual laws roughly based on the federal model.

According to the architect of Kentucky's open government laws, Jon Fleischaker, advocates found a powerful ally in then Governor Julian Carroll.

The framers of Kentucky's laws selected the best provisions from other states' open government laws, authoring what became the Open Meetings Act, enacted in 1974, and the Open Records Act, enacted in 1976.

Governor Carroll shepherded the laws through the General Assembly and ensured their passage.

The laws have undergone some revision over time. The open meetings laws were substantially amended in 1992 and the open records laws were substantially amended in 1994.

Although they have come under unprecedented attack in the last two legislative sessions, the laws have survived the test of time.