What do sunshine laws require from government entities?

Sunshine laws are designed to promote transparency and accountability within government entities by requiring them to disclose certain documents and proceedings to the public. This means that government meetings and the decision-making processes involved must be open and accessible, allowing citizens to be informed about how decisions are made and how the government operates.

The essence of these laws is to ensure that the public has the opportunity to observe governmental actions, which fosters trust and encourages public participation in the democratic process. By mandating transparency, sunshine laws aim to prevent corruption and ensure that government remains subject to scrutiny by the people it serves.

In contrast, the other options suggest practices that oppose the principle of transparency. For example, secrecy in legislative processes runs counter to the aim of sunshine laws, while automatic approval for public spending would remove the necessary oversight and accountability measures. Prioritizing private interest disclosure may stray from the primary focus of sunshine laws, which is on government transparency rather than the interests of private parties.