Sen. Jim Kyle has called for legislation making the state senate subject to the same Open Meetings Act as local government. He would also make caucus meetings open to the public. As it stands, the state legislature has exempted itself from the law.

This would be a good start at making Tennessee's state government more transparent.

Taking it a step further, there should be a requirement that all bills introduced in the state House and Senate must include disclosures about a) the source of the bill and b) a list of lobbyists who have discussed it with legislators.

The source (which could be constituent, lobbyist, the governor, local government private act, legislator initiative, etc.) should also have to indicate if the bill is based on "model" legislation from sources such as ALEC or other advocacy groups.

If you agree, write your state Representative and Senator.