Bill Targets Public Records Requests

Temporary Rep. Gayle Batt, R-Wilder, wants to alter how public agencies handle public records requests and prevent taxpayer dollars from being used to help fund legal challenges. Batt introduced a bill to tighten the process for requesting public records from public entities in the House Ways and Means Committee Wednesday.  The bill was introduced unanimously and will receive further consideration in the next few weeks. Possibly the largest change in the legislation is a provision preventing charging of large fees for public records requests deemed to be in the interest of public good by furthering knowledge of government.  Requests that are not in the interest of the public good – requests to be used in litigation, for example – would be subject to fees equal to preparation time and cost of materials/ Dustin Hurst , Idaho Reporter. More here .

Question: Do you support a bill that would allow government to determine if public records requests are for the public good?