NASHVILLE (AP) - Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey says he may support changes to Tennessee's open government laws to allow officials more leeway to discuss official business in private.

The Blountville Republican stressed to reporters this week that he's against weakening what is known as the Sunshine Law but said that local officials shouldn't have to fear prosecution for meeting in private.

The Tennessee County Commissioners Association has been promoting a change to the state's 37-year-old law to allow private meetings among officials as long as a quorum is not present.

Ramsey said he hasn't seen any legislative proposals on the matter and didn't say what specific changes he'd support.

Republican Gov. Bill Haslam, a former Knoxville mayor, has announced that he opposes changes to the open meetings law.