Democratic state lawmakers took an important step Tuesday in proposing important reforms that would give Kansans greater access to their government and its records.

The bills, which address issues ranging from requiring the release of police body camera videos to increasing penalties for violating the Kansas Open Records Act, are sorely needed to bring Kansas to a level of public openness that is taken for granted in most states.

The bills are nonpartisan and if legislators are as committed to transparency as they often profess, the bills will be approved.

Among the proposals is legislation that would prohibit the deceptive “gut-and-go” practice in the Legislature in which the contents of a bill already approved by one chamber is stripped and replaced with often completely unrelated content by the other chamber. The revised bill, still with its original bill number, is then sent back to the originating chamber for an up-or-down vote.

Another bill proposed Tuesday would require that all votes, including those in committee, be recorded. This would allow the public to see which lawmakers support specific bills and which ones don’t. At present, most committees don’t record individual votes.

Other proposals included legislation that would require public disclosure of police body camera video and the release of records pertaining to children who died while in foster care.

The package included a proposal requiring law enforcement agencies to disclose civil assets they have seized in the course of criminal investigations and to provide a clear system for citizens to reclaim property seized from them.

Tuesday’s news conference was made up of Democratic lawmakers, but the Democrats are not the only party trying to let the sun shine in on Kansas government this session. On Monday, House Speaker Ron Ryckman, R-Olathe, announced he would stop allowing “committee bills” in the House. Committee bills are sponsored by a legislative committee but do not identify individual sponsors or authors. Ryckman said all House bills would have names attached to them this session.

While Ryckman’s move is a step forward, it’s not binding. Thankfully, Rep. Stephanie Clayton, a Johnson County Republican, has offered a permanent fix. She has proposed legislation that would require bills that come through committee to include the name of the person who initiated the bill.

Kansas has one of the most closed governments in the country, with access limited to records that are routinely available in nearby states. The practices of the Legislature, including gut-and-go and secret votes, are simply unheard of elsewhere.

But the sweeping bipartisan reforms proposed for this session will make a significantly positive difference in the openness of Kansas government. Here’s hoping a majority of lawmakers can see the wisdom of getting behind these proposals.