A six-year battle in the legislature to create an Iowa Public Information Board has renewed life because of a new floor manager for the bill with a "strong desire" to move it forward.

"I think the time's come for this bill to move forward. Six years is long enough," state Representative Walt Rogers (R-Cedar Falls) said February 22. "Iowans that I've talked to talk about transparency in their government. ... I think the common, everyday Iowan needs one place to go to find out some of their answers."

The board would add teeth to the state's open-records law.

Under Senate File 430, the state would create a seven-member board that would address people's questions and problems about access to government records and meetings, and seek enforcement of the state's open-records and public-meetings laws.

The Rock Island/Milan School District boardThe Rock Island/Milan School District board obviously needs a simple, easy-to-follow rule for dealing with nepotism.

So here's a handy guide for it and any other public body: If the chief administrator's spouse is recommended for a no-bid contract, the governing board should reject it. Don't ask questions; don't let anybody try to convince you that it's a good idea. Just vote it down.

Over the past few weeks, the media and the school district have gotten tied up in discussions about the Illinois Open Meetings Act, and who made a recommendation, and qualifications, and the distinction between an employee and a contractor, and blah blah blah. All of that misses the core issue.