It has been almost 50 years since the original Missouri Sunshine Law was adopted by Missouri. But over the years, the changes to that law usually have been an effort to ensure broader access to public information, not narrow the access, as is inherent in many changes proposed this legislative session by Rep. Bruce DeGroot, R-Ellisville, in House bill 2049. Since its early drafts, the bill’s foundation has been that it is to be interpreted “liberally” to promote a public policy of the state that meetings, records and votes are open to the public, unless otherwise closed under the law. However, DeGroot’s bill would limit this policy in situations where the language is unclear. In one section, it says to construe the law liberally, and in a section just a few lines below that, it says it is not always to be “liberally construed.” This state policy change is stunning. And it is just the beginning of the changes he proposes. The bill creates a new category of public records – “transitory…