BylGGfbgS lot! BY ROGER SCOWCROFT Senate Bill No. 32 was tabled last week. If passed, it will bar the public from state and county government govern-ment meetings at which no action (vote) is taken. Sen. Lowell S. Peterson, R-Weber, is chairman of the committee and sponsor of the bill. It is meant to give state and county government gov-ernment breathing room and is supported by the UtahAs-sociation UtahAs-sociation of Counties, and the League of Cities and Towns. Opponents include Sen. Frances Farley, and the Utah Society of Professional Journalists. 'The Ogden paper has been camping on the Weber County Commission, and an overzealous press Disturb' the orderly consideration of public business. The current open and public pub-lic meetings law requires that meetings of public bodies bod-ies be open to the public, and notice given 48 hours in advance. In 1978 the Utah Society of Professional Journalists successfully filed suit forcing forc-ing the city of South Ogden to comply with the state open meetings law. Prior to this ruling municipalities were not covered by this law. 'S.B. 32 is a question of access. It removes government govern-ment from the people and restricts re-stricts the whole idea of democracy. Discussion of public issues is the public's j business. i This bill is an absolute disaster. The problem is particularly acute in county government. Commissioners Commission-ers could declare that a meeting is information gathering gath-ering and tell everyone to get out. The public should be in on the discussion of issues. 'I think some elected officials of-ficials are tired of the press picking on them and want to run their business as they see fit. But they are forgetting for-getting the interests of the general public they work for, who put them where they are.'