Public government meeting? Film away.

Certain legislators need to reread the Open Meetings Act.

Rep. Byron Cook, R-Corsicana, had Amy Hedtke removed from a State Affairs hearing in March because she was livestreaming the public meeting.

Hedtke sued Cook, and a district judge issued a temporary injunction.

Though most meetings are already filmed for public consumption, Cook established a policy against non-media personnel filming State Affairs Committee meetings, where he serves as chairman.

But it’s not his place to stop anyone from videoing a public government meeting.

“A person in attendance may record all or any part of an open meeting of a governmental body by means of a recorder, video camera, or other means of aural or visual reproduction,” says the Texas Open Meetings Act, a section of the state’s government code.

That’s the law and Cook’s policy isn’t above it.

It understandable to see the worry of having non-media attendees pulling out a recording device. In this viral-sensitive age, a livestreaming cellphone has developed a negative connotation.

We get the unease. But we also stand behind the Open Meetings Act and government transparency.

If attendees aren’t causing a disruption — they can video the meeting. Period.

This story was originally published July 27, 2017 at 7:06 PM with the headline "Public government meeting? Film away.."