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Another marriage amendment debate scheduled

Still undecided about the marriage amendment? Or just looking for a good paid entertainment?

Another public panel discussion with some of the proposed amendment’s most ardent supporters and opponents will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. April 30 in Bay 7 of the American Tobacco Campus in Durham.

Unlike previous events, this one costs to attend. It’s hosted by the Leadership Triangle, a nonprofit group that promotes regional cooperation. It’ll be $25 at the door (with reduced prices for those connected with the organization).

Pro-amendment panelists will be Cary attorney Anthony J. Biller and Raleigh minister Patrick L. Wooden Sr. In the other corner, UNC-CH law professor Maxine Eichner and state Rep. Deborah Ross.

Then, afterward, everyone gets together for a social hour.

The amendment would ban same-sex marriages and civil unions in North Carolina, and domestic partnerships between opposite-sex couples would not be legally recognized.

More info at www.leadershiptriangle.com.

What guarantees government sunshine? A consitutional protection

North Carolina's open government laws don't hold a match to the "Sunshine Law" in Florida.

What's the biggest difference? Barbara Petersen, the president of the First Amendment Foundation in Florida, gave reporters and government officials at a panel discussion Wednesday a simple answer: It's in the Florida Constitution.

In 1992, Florida voters approved a referendum to put language guaranteeing access to public records and government meetings in the state's founding document. Petersen said it's what creates a culture of openness. Under the provisions in Section 24, the state legislature is the sole body to define what is public and open and what isn't -- which often leads to legislation closing the door on certain records. But it keeps local judges and governments from enforcing different standards, said Petersen, who spoke at Sunshine Day 2012 at Elon University. (Follow the action on Twitter @NCOpenGov.)

Open meetings and public records laws make it easier for members of the public to discover and understand their government -- and for the media to inform them about their tax dollars at work.

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