§ 84. Legislative declaration. The legislature hereby finds that a
free society is maintained when government is responsive and responsible
to the public, and when the public is aware of governmental actions. The
more open a government is with its citizenry, the greater the
understanding and participation of the public in government.

As state and local government services increase and public problems
become more sophisticated and complex and therefore harder to solve, and
with the resultant increase in revenues and expenditures, it is
incumbent upon the state and its localities to extend public
accountability wherever and whenever feasible.

The people's right to know the process of governmental decision-making
and to review the documents and statistics leading to determinations is
basic to our society. Access to such information should not be thwarted
by shrouding it with the cloak of secrecy or confidentiality.

The legislature therefore declares that government is the public's
business and that the public, individually and collectively and
represented by a free press, should have access to the records of
government in accordance with the provisions of this article.