Access to Public Records (H 7555A, S 2652A)

After years of negotiation between open government groups, law enforcement, and the Attorney General’s office, the General Assembly this year passed much-needed legislation strengthening the state’s open records law, known as APRA.  The ability of the public to see and evaluate the decisions of the government is a necessary component of democracy, yet prior to this legislation, APRA had not been updated in more than a dozen years.  As a result, Rhode Islanders had a comparatively weak tool for government accountability, with a law which did not reflect technological advances in record storage or changes in the kinds of documents which exist.  Among other improvements, the legislation shortens the time frame for public bodies to respond to open records requests, increases penalties for violations of the law and requires training of public information officers on their obligations under APRA.