The Arkansas Legislature approved changes to the Freedom of Information Act this week that everyone should know about, even students.

Discussion began after a FOIA request by Blue Hog Report blogger Matthew Campbell sought documentation about Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ travel.

For those who don’t know, FOIA requires the government to be transparent with the public and give residents of Arkansas an insight into what their government is doing.

The public can request access to public records and have the right to sue the state if denied. 

There are a few exceptions, of course. Information that could cause harm, like national security, the privacy of individuals or the proprietary interests of businesses, cannot be requested through FOIA.

This leads us to where we are today.

Records revealed Sanders has been abusing her power as a public government official and making shady travel plans, including turning a business trip into a luxurious family vacation earlier this year.

Because of the new alterations, the state can now withhold certain information about travel on State Police airplanes and the expenses for those trips.

This is the tip of the iceberg of things the government wants to and will hide from us — the public.

Government officials will do anything and everything to take advantage of the privileges they receive by being in their position.

Gov. Sanders has been revealed to have taken a quick 11-minute flight Aug. 24 from Rogers to Bentonville instead of driving like a normal human being.

But, alas, she is not a normal human being. No, she is a governor and, therefore, can come and go as she pleases.

She claims she called for the special meeting over the FOIA changes to protect her and other government officials, as well as constitutional officers, from security risks in future business endeavors.

It will also keep us from knowing about future abuse of taxpayer dollars on “business” trips. 

Officials in the past have been accused of misusing public funds for personal pleasure. 

This comes just two years after Attorney General Leslie Rutledge was sued for allegedly using public money to help promote her campaign for governor — she later dropped out of the race to run for lieutenant governor instead.

She won, of course. She can thank her shameless promos for that.

There is no greater agenda for a public official than to climb the ladder of democracy — to get more money, fame and authority. 

We need more transparency and accountability with our government officials. 

Nobody should be blindsided by how their hard-earned money is being spent. 

This is why we need a firmer grip on our leaders and who we put into office. 

We need people in charge who we don’t need to question what they do behind closed doors. 

Now we get to wonder what they do on state-funded plane rides, too.