State leaders in Annapolis took an important step this week toward making government more transparent when they announced that most major business will be broadcast live on the Internet. Starting immediately, video of Board of Public Works meetings will be live-streamed to the web, and beginning in January, video of House of Delegates committee hearings and audio of Senate committee hearings will be live-streamed. (The House's office building is newer and has more advanced technology than the Senate building; when the state budget crunch eases, we encourage the legislature to upgrade the technology in the Senate building as well.)

Furthermore, House Speaker Michael E. Busch and Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller reiterated their commitment to post committee votes on-line and pledged to stop charging for the legislature's "Up to the Minute" service, which provides real-time results of votes and other action on the floor of the House and Senate.

For the moment, only the most recent Board of Public Works meeting will be available online, but it shows the technology's potential to open the workings of state government. The video, available at http://www.governor.maryland.gov/stream.asp, includes Maryland Transit Administration head Ralign T. Wells explaining the state's response to the recent breakdown of a MARC train on the way back from Washington. Watch and judge for yourself how well the MTA handled the situation and how well officials are being held accountable for their response.