The Florida Senate held a secret meeting March 6, 2003, the first time in several decades that the press and public were unable to attend a Senate committee meeting. Senators were briefed about a state database called Threat-Net, a Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) counter-terrorism database. FDLE Commissioner Tim Moore asked for the closed meeting for security reasons, although senators attending had no special security clearance. Senate President Jim King (R) defended the meeting saying, “we're involved in some stuff that doesn't fit within the purview of normalcy. We are dealing with things that have to do with war, confidential information.'' King invoked a Senate rule passed after September 11 that enables the Senate President to ban the public from meetings discussing terrorism, sabotage, and other emergencies. The House rejected a similar proposal. The House will also be asked to approve an expansion on the FDLE database, but the House is very reluctant to hold a secret meeting. The House Coordinating Committee on Public Security Chair, Rep. Dudley Goodlette (R), stated the House “rules don’t permit it and I wouldn’t favor it.” Florida is a state that is well known for its tradition of open government and has one of the strongest Sunshine Laws in the country. The secret meeting prompted significant concern from a number of people including Senate and House members, Gov. Jeb Bush (R), and open-government advocates. Advocates fear this type of meeting could set a precedent establishing a more secretive atmosphere within the administration, compromising the public’s right-to-know.