2008 -- H 7422

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LC01031

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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2008

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A N A C T

RELATING TO PUBLIC RECORDS -- ACCESS TO PUBLIC RECORDS

     Introduced By: Representatives Ajello, Dennigan, Walsh, Rice, and Handy

     Date Introduced: February 12, 2008

     Referred To: House Judiciary

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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     SECTION 1. Sections 38-2-2, 38-2-3, 38-2-4, 38-2-6, 38-2-7, 38-2-8 and 38-2-9 of the

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General Laws in Chapter 38-2 entitled "Access to Public Records" are hereby amended to read as

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follows:

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     38-2-2. Definitions. -- As used in this chapter:

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      (1) "Agency" or "public body" shall mean any executive, legislative, judicial, regulatory,

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or administrative body of the state, or any political subdivision thereof; including, but not limited

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to, any department, division, agency, commission, board, office, bureau, authority, any school,

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fire, or water district, or other agency of Rhode Island state or local government which exercises

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governmental functions, any authority as defined in section 42-35-1(b), or any other public or

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private agency, person, partnership, corporation, or business entity acting on behalf of and/or in

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place of any public agency.

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      (2) "Chief administrative officer" means the highest authority of the public body as

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defined in subsection (a) of this section.

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      (3) "Public business" means any matter over which the public body has supervision,

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control, jurisdiction, or advisory power.

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      (4) (i) "Public record" or "public records" shall mean all documents, papers, letters,

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maps, books, tapes, photographs, films, sound recordings, magnetic or other tapes, electronic data

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processing records, computer stored data (including electronic mail messages, except specifically

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for any electronic mail messages of or to elected officials with or relating to those they represent

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and correspondence of or to elected officials in their official capacities) or other material

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regardless of physical form or characteristics made or received pursuant to law or ordinance or in

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connection with the transaction of official business by any agency. For the purposes of this

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chapter, the following records shall not be deemed public:

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      (A) (I) All records which are identifiable to an individual applicant for benefits, client,

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patient, student, or employee, including, but not limited to, personnel, medical treatment, welfare,

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employment security, pupil records, all records relating to a client/attorney relationship and to a

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doctor/patient relationship, and all personal or medical information relating to an individual in

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any files, including information relating to medical or psychological facts, personal finances,

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welfare, employment security, student performance, or information in personnel files maintained

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to hire, evaluate, promote, or discipline any employee of a public body; provided, however, with

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respect to employees, the name, gross salary, salary range, total cost of paid fringe benefits, gross

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amount received in overtime, and other remuneration in addition to salary, job title, job

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description, dates of employment and positions held with the state or municipality, work location,

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business telephone number, the city or town of residence, and date of termination shall be public.

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      (II) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, or any other provision of the general

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laws to the contrary, the pension records of all persons who are either current or retired members

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of the retirement systems established by the general laws as well as all persons who become

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members of those retirement systems after June 17, 1991 shall be open for public inspection.

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"Pension records" as used in this section shall include all records containing information

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concerning pension and retirement benefits of current and retired members of the retirement

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systems established in title 8, title 36, title 42, and title 45 and future members of said systems,

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including all records concerning retirement credits purchased and the ability of any member of

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the retirement system to purchase retirement credits, but excluding all information regarding the

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medical condition of any person and all information identifying the member's designated

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beneficiary or beneficiaries.

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      (B) Trade secrets and commercial or financial information obtained from a person, firm,

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or corporation which is of a privileged or confidential nature.

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      (C) Child custody and adoption records, records of illegitimate births, and records of

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juvenile proceedings before the family court.

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      (D) All records maintained by law enforcement agencies for criminal law enforcement

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and all records relating to the detection and investigation of crime, including those maintained on

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any individual or compiled in the course of a criminal investigation by any law enforcement

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agency. Provided, however, such records shall not be deemed public only to the extent that the

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disclosure of the records or information (a) could reasonably be expected to interfere with

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investigations of criminal activity or with enforcement proceedings, (b) would deprive a person of

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a right to a fair trial or an impartial adjudication, (c) could reasonably be expected to constitute an

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unwarranted invasion of personal privacy, (d) could reasonably be expected to disclose the

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identity of a confidential source, including a state, local, or foreign agency or authority, or any

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private institution which furnished information on a confidential basis, or the information

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furnished by a confidential source, (e) would disclose techniques and procedures for law

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enforcement investigations or prosecutions, or would disclose guidelines for law enforcement

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investigations or prosecutions or (f) could reasonably be expected to endanger the life or physical

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safety of any individual. Records relating to management and direction of a law enforcement

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agency and records or reports, including narrative reports, relating to reflecting the initial arrest

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of an adult and the charge or charges brought against an adult shall be public.

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      (E) Any records which would not be available by law or rule of court to an opposing

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party in litigation.

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      (F) Scientific and technological secrets and the security plans of military and law

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enforcement agencies, the disclosure of which would endanger the public welfare and security.

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      (G) Any records which disclose the identity of the contributor of a bona fide and lawful

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charitable contribution to the public body whenever public anonymity has been requested of the

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public body with respect to the contribution by the contributor.

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      (H) Reports and statements of strategy or negotiation involving labor negotiations or

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collective bargaining.

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      (I) Reports and statements of strategy or negotiation with respect to the investment or

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borrowing of public funds, until such time as those transactions are entered into.

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      (J) Any minutes of a meeting of a public body which are not required to be disclosed

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pursuant to chapter 46 of title 42.

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      (K) Preliminary drafts, notes, impressions, memoranda, working papers, and work

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products; provided, however, any documents submitted at a public meeting of a public body shall

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be deemed public.

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      (L) Test questions, scoring keys, and other examination data used to administer a

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licensing examination, examination for employment or promotion, or academic examinations;

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provided, however, that a person shall have the right to review the results of his or her

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examination.

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      (M) Correspondence of or to elected officials with or relating to those they represent and

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correspondence of or to elected officials in their official capacities.

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      (N) The contents of real estate appraisals, engineering, or feasibility estimates and

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evaluations made for or by an agency relative to the acquisition of property or to prospective

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public supply and construction contracts, until such time as all of the property has been acquired

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or all proceedings or transactions have been terminated or abandoned; provided the law of

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eminent domain shall not be affected by this provision.

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      (O) All tax returns.

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      (P) All investigatory records of public bodies, with the exception of law enforcement

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agencies, pertaining to possible violations of statute, rule, or regulation other than records of final

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actions taken provided that all records prior to formal notification of violations or noncompliance

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shall not be deemed to be public.

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      (Q) Records of individual test scores on professional certification and licensing

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examinations; provided, however, that a person shall have the right to review the results of his or

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her examination.

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      (R) Requests for advisory opinions until such time as the public body issues its opinion.

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      (S) Records, reports, opinions, information, and statements required to be kept

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confidential by federal law or regulation or state law, or rule of court.

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      (T) Judicial bodies are included in the definition only in respect to their administrative

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function provided that records kept pursuant to the provisions of chapter 16 of title 8 are exempt

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from the operation of this chapter.

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      (U) Library records which by themselves or when examined with other public records,

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would reveal the identity of the library user requesting, checking out, or using any library

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materials.

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      (V) Printouts from TELE -- TEXT devices used by people who are deaf or hard of

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hearing or speech impaired.

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      (W) All records received by the insurance division of the department of business

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regulation from other states, either directly or through the National Association of Insurance

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Commissioners, if those records are accorded confidential treatment in that state. Nothing

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contained in this title or any other provision of law shall prevent or be construed as prohibiting

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the commissioner of insurance from disclosing otherwise confidential information to the

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insurance department of this or any other state or country, at any time, so long as the agency or

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office receiving the records agrees in writing to hold it confidential in a manner consistent with

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the laws of this state.

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      (X) Credit card account numbers in the possession of state or local government are

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confidential and shall not be deemed public records.

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      (Y) Any documentary material, answers to written interrogatories, or oral testimony

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provided under any subpoena issued under Rhode Island general law section 9-1.1-6.

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      (ii) However, any reasonably segregable portion of a public record excluded by this

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section shall be available for public inspections after the deletion of the information which is the

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basis of the exclusion, if disclosure of the segregable portion does not violate the intent of this

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section.

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      (5) "Supervisor of the regulatory body" means the chief or head of a section having

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enforcement responsibility for a particular statute or set of rules and regulations within a

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regulatory agency.

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      (6) "Prevailing plaintiff" means and shall include those persons and entities deemed

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prevailing parties pursuant to 42 U.S.C. section 1988. A judgment in the plaintiff's favor shall not

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be a prerequisite to the award of attorneys' fees.

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     38-2-3. Right to inspect and copy records -- Duty to maintain minutes of meetings --

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Procedures for access. -- (a) Except as provided in section38-2-2(4), all All records maintained

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or kept on file by any public body, that are not exempt from disclosure pursuant to the provisions

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of subdivision 38-2-2(4)(i)(A) through (X), whether or not those records are required by any law

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or by any rule or regulation, shall be public records and every person or entity shall have the right

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to inspect and/or copy those records at such reasonable time as may be determined by the

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custodian thereof. No public body shall require, as a condition of fulfilling a request for records,

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that a requester provide personally identifiable information about him/herself.

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      (b) Each public body shall make, keep, and maintain written or recorded minutes of all

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meetings.

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      (c) Each public body shall establish procedures regarding access to public records but

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shall not require written requests for public information available pursuant to R.I.G.L. section42-

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35-2 or for other documents prepared for or readily available to the public.

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     (d) A public body receiving a request shall permit the inspection within three (3)

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business days after receiving a request. If the inspection is not permitted within three (3) business

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days, the public body shall forthwith explain in writing the need for additional time to comply

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with the request, but which in any event shall not be more than ten (10) business days after

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receiving a request. Any such explanation must be particularized to the specific request made.

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Notwithstanding the foregoing, a public body may have up to twenty (20) business days to

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respond to a request if it can demonstrate that the voluminous nature of the request, the number of

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requests for records pending, or the difficulty in searching for and retrieving the requested

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records, in such that additional time is necessary to avoid imposing an undue burden on the public

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body.

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      (d) (e) If a public record is in active use or in storage and, therefore, not available at the

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time a person or entity requests access, the custodian shall so inform the person or entity and

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make an appointment for the citizen person or entity to examine such records as expeditiously as

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they may be made available.

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      (e) (f) Any person or entity requesting copies of public records may elect to obtain them

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in any and all media in which the public agency is capable of providing them. Any public body

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which maintains its records in a computer storage system shall provide any data properly

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identified in a printout or other reasonable format, as requested.

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      (f) (g) Nothing in this section shall be construed as requiring a public body to reorganize,

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consolidate, or compile data not maintained by the public body in the form requested at the time

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the request to inspect the public records was made except to the extent that such records are in an

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electronic format and the public body would not be unduly burdened in providing such data.

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      (g) (h) Nothing in this section is intended to affect the public record status of information

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merely because it is stored in a computer.

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      (h) (i) No public records shall be withheld based on the purpose for which the records

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are sought., nor shall a public body require a person or entity seeking records to provide a reason

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for the request.

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     (j) At the election of the person or entity requesting the public records, the public body

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shall provide the public records by mail unless such mailing would be unduly burdensome due to

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the volume of the records requested and the costs that would be incurred.

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     (k) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (d) hereof, any records or reports,

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including narrative reports, relating to the initial arrest of an adult and the charge or charges

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brought against an adult shall be accessible within twenty-four (24) hours after a receipt of a

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request.

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     38-2-4. Cost. -- (a) Subject to the provisions of section38-2-3, a public body must allow

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copies to be made or provide copies of public records. The cost per copied page of written

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documents provided to the public shall not exceed fifteen cents ($.15) per page for documents

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copyable on common business or legal size paper. A public body may not charge more than the

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reasonable actual cost for providing electronic records.

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      (b) A reasonable charge may be made for the search or retrieval of documents. Hourly

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costs for a search and retrieval shall not exceed fifteen dollars ($15.00) per hour and no costs

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shall be charged for the first hour of a search or retrieval.

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      (c) Copies of documents shall be provided and the search and retrieval of documents

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accomplished within a reasonable time after a request in accordance with the provisions of

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subsection 38-2-3(d) of this chapter. A public body shall, upon request, provide an estimate of the

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costs of a request for documents prior to providing copies.

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      (d) Upon request, the public body shall provide a detailed itemization of the costs

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charged for search and retrieval.

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      (e) A court may reduce or waive the fees for costs charged for search or retrieval if it

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determines that the information requested is in the public interest because it is likely to contribute

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significantly to public understanding of the operations or activities of the government and is not

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primarily in the commercial interest of the requester.

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     38-2-6. Commercial use of public records. -- No person or business entity shall use

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information obtained from public records pursuant to this chapter to solicit for commercial

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purposes or to obtain a commercial advantage over the party furnishing that information to the

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public body. Anyone who knowingly and willfully violates the provision of this section shall, in

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addition to any civil liability, be punished by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars ($500)

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and/or imprisonment for no longer than one year.

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     38-2-7. Denial of access. -- (a) Any denial of the right to inspect or copy records, in

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whole or in part, provided for under this chapter shall be made to the person or entity requesting

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the right by the public body official who has custody or control of the public record in writing

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giving the specific reasons for the denial within ten (10) three (3) business days of the request and

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indicating the procedures for appealing the denial. Except for good cause shown, any reason not

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specifically set forth in the denial shall be deemed waived by the public body.

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      (b) Failure to timely comply with a request to inspect or copy the public record within

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the ten (10) business day period shall be deemed to be a denial. Except that for good cause, this

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limit may be extended for a period not to exceed thirty (30) business days. in accordance with the

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provisions of subsection 38-2-3(d) of this chapter. All copying and search fees shall be waived if

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a public body fails to produce requested records in a timely manner.

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     38-2-8. Administrative appeals. -- (a) Any person or entity denied the right to inspect a

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record of a public body by the custodian of the record may petition the chief administrative

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officer of that public body for a review of the determinations made by his or her subordinate. The

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chief administrative officer shall make a final determination whether or not to allow public

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inspection within ten (10) business days after the submission of the review petition.

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      (b) If the custodian of the records or the chief administrative officer determines that the

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record is not subject to public inspection, the person or entity seeking disclosure may file a

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complaint with the attorney general. The attorney general shall investigate the complaint and if

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the attorney general shall determine that the allegations of the complaint are meritorious, he or

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she may institute proceedings for injunctive or declaratory relief on behalf of the complainant in

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the superior court of the county where the record is maintained. Nothing within this section shall

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prohibit any individual or entity from retaining private counsel for the purpose of instituting

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proceedings for injunctive or declaratory relief in the superior court of the county where the

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record is maintained.

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      (c) The attorney general shall consider all complaints filed under this chapter to have

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also been filed pursuant to the provisions of section 42-46-8(a), if applicable.

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      (d) Nothing within this section shall prohibit the attorney general from initiating a

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complaint on behalf of the public interest.

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     38-2-9. Jurisdiction of superior court. -- (a) Jurisdiction to hear and determine civil

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actions brought under this chapter is hereby vested in the superior court.

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      (b) The court may examine any record which is the subject of a suit in camera to

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determine whether the record or any part thereof may be withheld from public inspection under

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the terms of this chapter.

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      (c) Actions brought under this chapter may be advanced on the calendar upon motion of.

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any party, or sua sponte by the court made in accordance with the rules of civil procedure of the

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superior court.

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      (d) The court shall impose a civil fine not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000)

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fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000) against a public body or official found to have committed a

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knowing and willful violation of this chapter, and a civil fine not to exceed five thousand dollars

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($5,000) against a public body or official found to have recklessly violated this chapter, and shall

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award reasonable attorney fees and costs to the prevailing plaintiff. The court shall further order a

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public body found to have wrongfully denied access to public records to provide the records at no

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cost to the prevailing party; provided, further, that in the event that the court, having found in

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favor of the defendant, finds further that the plaintiff's case lacked a grounding in fact or in

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existing law or in good faith argument for the extension, modification, or reversal of existing law,

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the court may award attorneys fees and costs to the prevailing defendant.

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     SECTION 2. Chapter 38-2 of the General Laws entitled "Access to Public Records" is

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hereby amended by adding thereto the following section:

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     38-2-16. Compliance by state agencies. – No later than January 1, 2009, and annually

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thereafter, the chief administrator of each state agency shall certify in writing to the attorney

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general that the agency has provided orientation and training regarding this chapter to all officers

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and employees who have the authority to grant or deny persons or entities access to records under

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this chapter.

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     SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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LC01031

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N A C T

RELATING TO PUBLIC RECORDS -- ACCESS TO PUBLIC RECORDS

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     This act would mandate that a public body receiving a request for access to public

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records comply within three (3) business days. It would also prevent a public body from requiring

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that a requester of public records provide personally identifiable information or the reason for the

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request. It would also raise the maximum civil fine that may be imposed for a willful and

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knowingly violation of the chapter from one thousand dollars ($1,000) to fifteen thousand dollars

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($15,000).The act would also impose a new fine not to exceed five thousand dollars ($5,000) for

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reckless violation of the chapter.

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     The act would also require all state agencies to annually certify in writing to the attorney

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general that each agency has provided orientation and training to all officers and employees

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authorized to grant or deny access to public records.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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LC01031

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