Lawmaker wants to make it easier to deny unduly burdensome publics records requests
State lawmakers are making a new bid to make it easier for public officials to deny requests for records they believe are “unduly burdensome or harassing.”
The proposal by Sen. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, leaves in place existing requirements for records to be open to public inspection. And it spells out that those who are denied access can sue and recover their legal fees.
But SB1019 adds a requirement that the records sought be identified with “reasonable particularity.”
Potentially more significant, it provides public officials with the ability to claim that “the request for access to public records is unduly burdensome or harassing.”
Read more: http://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2016/12/24/lawmaker-wants-to-make-it-easier-to-deny-unduly-burdensome-publics-records-requests/
[font color=330099]The simple solution is to charge for the information provided. The entity receiving the request has to determine whether any information is too sensitive to release or violates any applicable statutes. That entity also provides an estimate of the charges that will be incurred and the timeframe in which the information will be available with an emphasis on attempting to do it in a timely manner (e.g. 10 business days). The requester then decides whether to proceed with the request or further define the scope and limitations of the request. If the requester agrees but fails to pay then future requests can be ignored until past services are reimbursed. This should eliminate frivolous requests that result in wasted resources.[/font]
