Rhode Island FOI Reforms Unveiled...

Proponents of public records access, including the media and the Rhode Island Affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union, came out in support last night of a bill that would strengthen the state’s Open Records Law.

Those in favor of the amendments say they would help make Rhode Island government more transparent and protect the public’s right to know.

Critics meanwhile worry that the changes would drain staff resources and increase costs at a time when public agencies are already strained.

Proponents of public records access, including the media and the Rhode Island Affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union, came out in support last night of a bill that would strengthen the state’s Open Records Law.

Those in favor of the amendments say they would help make Rhode Island government more transparent and protect the public’s right to know.

The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Edith H. Ajello, D-Providence, and presented yesterday to the House Judiciary Committee, calls for limiting the amount of time public bodies have to respond to open records requests from the current 10 days, to 3 days, with some exceptions.

Police departments would have just 24 hours to respond to provide arrest reports, including the narratives that explain the specific circumstances surrounding the arrests. While organizations facing unduly large or complicated budget requests would have 20 days to answer requests (currently they have 30 days).

Public bodies that fail to comply with the law would see fines increased from the current $1,000 to $15,000.

The second major change in the law calls for all state agencies to train any of their officers and employees authorized to grant or deny records and to annually certify in writing that it has done so.

More here.