Engler singing the "Blues" over state publication
If Senator Kevin Engler of Farmington has his way ... the printed copy of Missouri's annual Blue Book will become a thing of the past. The Majority Floor Leader certainly thinks all the information in the book should be available ... but online only.
Engler calls the Blue Book, which is printed every two years at cost of about a half-million dollars, “a free advertisement for elected officials at taxpayer expense.”
He doesn't think it makes much sense to spend that kind of money when cuts are being made to healthcare and workers are being laid off.
Engler has tried, in the past, to have the Blue Book as an online “publication” only ... but has run into quite a bit of opposition from fellow lawmakers.
The Engler call to have the Blue Book move to online only comes on the heels of Secretary of State Robin Carnahan's announcement that the latest edition of the Blue Book - printed copies - will be unveiled next week ... and that previous years' Blue Books are being made available online.
We'll see if the idea gets any traction this year. Even if it does ... this year's edition of the Blue Book has already been printed and the earliest any change could take effect would be in 2011.
Steve Walsh
