The scandals in the Tennessee Legislature generated several knee-jerk reactions that will do nothing to resolve last year’s underlying problem (legislators taking bribes, which was already illegal), but there has been one change that will actually be useful to the people of Tennessee — especially those outside the state’s capitol city.

Beginning last week, information about all the bills filed is available online, indexed by subject, listing the sponsor and a brief summary along with a link to the bill information.

Previously, the General Assembly website listed filed bills only by number, and the search engine is so cumbersome as to be practically useless. I’ve used the TSBA “Legislative Scoop” website to keep up with filed bills in the past, but that only applies to education legislation — my primary area of interest. Because someone, somewhere, had to piece together that information, it wasn’t quite as current as the new legislative site should be.

People tend to be suspicious of the unknown, and it’s really in the best interest of those elected to represent the people to have as much information publicly available as possible. It decreases the suspicion and distrust, but more importantly, provides elected representatives with views from an informed constituency — harnessing the watchful eyes and brainpower of many, rather than just a few.

Check it out. Whether you’re concerned about education, traffic safety, gas taxes, or anything else — there’s something for everyone, and government works best for those who pay attention and provide input.