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Maine Senate Affirms Open Government in 'Sunshine Week' Resolution

PORTLAND, Maine - The Maine Senate today passed a resolution recognizing so-called "Sunshine Week," devoted to affirming the importance of open government and public access to government documents and meetings.

The Senate resolution, which confirms the basic principles of an open and accessible government in a free society, was sponsored by Republican Sen. David Burns, of Whiting.
 
"Every citizen has the right to access government openly, as far as meetings and the records that it keeps," Burns said.

Burns notes that this is the fiftieth anniversary of the federal Freedom of Information Act, which has been described as "the law that keeps citizens in the know about their government."

Ed is a Maine native who spent his early childhood in Livermore Falls before moving to Farmington. He graduated from Mount Blue High School in 1970 before going to the University of Maine at Orono where he received his BA in speech in 1974 with a broadcast concentration. It was during that time that he first became involved with public broadcasting. He served as an intern for what was then called MPBN TV and also did volunteer work for MPBN Radio.