Shortly after the 2019 Regular Session of the Kentucky General Assembly commenced, there were rumblings of open meetings violations.

New policies were announced that imposed illegal restrictions on the public's rights under the law, unannounced meetings from which the public was excluded occurred, and attendees at public committee meetings were forced to stand in the corridors and follow — as best they could -- committee hearings on their cellphones.

Because I knew that the open meetings law defines the term "public agency" to include the General Assembly; because I knew that the open meetings law recognizes the right of "committees of the General Assembly other than standing committees" to conduct closed sessions, thus confirming the application of the open meetings law to the General Assembly; because I knew that the House of Representatives had been successfully challenged on its failure to adhere to the open meetings law on at least three occasions — once as recently as 2018 — and because I am, at heart, a believer that everyone should play by the rules —especially those who make the rules — I asked when we abandoned the belief that lawmakers were required to comply with the open meetings law.

This op-ed -- which appeared in the Courier Journal and elsewhere -- on or about January 14, was the result.