MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The Alabama Senate on Thursday advanced legislation aimed at strengthening the state’s weak open records law by setting deadlines to respond to requests to view public documents.
Senators voted 29-0 for the legislation. The bill now moves to the House.
“Right now, under current law, it’s the wild west. We don’t have timelines for governments or universities to respond in due time,” Republican Sen. Arthur Orr, the bill’s sponsor, said.
Alabama’s public records law says any citizen has the right to inspect and take copies of public writings, except for those exempted by law. However, it does not provide deadlines for responses.
The legislation would require a public records officer to acknowledge the receipt of a simple request within 10 days and then “provide a substantive response” to the request within 15 additional business days. Public entities would be given more time to respond to requests that would require more than eight hours of work to fulfill.
Related articles:
Related suggestion:
Multiple places in C.China’s Henan suspend classes, transportation due to continuous snowfallChina pledges efforts to combat lawyer misconductSheep breeding cooperatives boost incomes of Xizang herdersXinjiang braces for more passenger train suspensions amid extreme weatherMultiple places in C.China’s Henan suspend classes, transportation due to continuous snowfallSocial media star revives interest in ancient Chinese writingPic story of luthier in Yingkou City, China's LiaoningDivisive? Not for moviegoers. ‘Civil War’ declares victory at box office.Feature: Blind engineer opens up new vistas with computer game design56.4 pct of China's postgraduates hold professional degrees
2.7464s , 6497.6171875 kb
Copyright © 2024 Powered by Alabama lawmakers advance bill to strengthen state's weak open records law ,Stellar Station news portal