2006 Legislation
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HOUSE BILL NO. 718 – Public records, electronic format

HOUSE BILL NO. 718

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Bill Status



H0718......................................................by STATE AFFAIRS
PUBLIC RECORDS - Amends existing law relating to public records to provide
a limitation on a fee that may be charged; to provide that statistical
information descriptive of an identifiable person may be disclosed unless
prohibited by law; to authorize a public agency or independent public body
corporate and politic to provide a copy of a public record in electronic
form if the record is available in electronic form or can be converted to
an electronic format using standard marketplace software and an electronic
copy is specifically requested; to provide that a request for and delivery
of a public record may be conducted by electronic mail; and to provide an
exception to the requirement that a public record must be provided within a
specified time.
                                                                        
02/22    House intro - 1st rdg - to printing
02/23    Rpt prt - to St Aff
02/27    Rpt out - rec d/p - to 2nd rdg
02/28    2nd rdg - to 3rd rdg
03/03    3rd rdg - PASSED - 67-1-2
      AYES -- Anderson, Andrus, Barraclough, Barrett, Bastian, Bayer,
      Bedke, Bell, Bilbao, Black, Block, Boe, Bolz, Brackett, Bradford,
      Cannon, Chadderdon, Clark, Collins, Deal, Denney, Edmunson,
      Ellsworth, Eskridge, Field(18), Field(23), Garrett, Hart, Harwood,
      Henbest, Jaquet, Kemp, Lake, LeFavour, Loertscher, Martinez, Mathews,
      McGeachin, McKague, Miller, Mitchell, Moyle, Nielsen, Nonini,
      Pasley-Stuart, Pence, Raybould, Ring, Ringo, Roberts, Rusche,
      Rydalch, Sali, Sayler, Schaefer, Shepherd(2), Shepherd(8), Shirley,
      Skippen, Smith(30), Smith(24), Smylie, Snodgrass, Stevenson, Trail,
      Wills, Wood
      NAYS -- Henderson
      Absent and excused -- Crow, Mr. Speaker
    Floor Sponsor - Hart
    Title apvd - to Senate
03/06    Senate intro - 1st rdg - to St Aff
03/09    Rpt out - rec d/p - to 2nd rdg
03/10    2nd rdg - to 3rd rdg
03/14    3rd rdg - PASSED - 35-0-0
      AYES -- Andreason, Brandt, Broadsword, Bunderson, Burkett,
      Burtenshaw, Cameron, Coiner, Compton, Corder, Darrington, Davis,
      Fulcher, Gannon, Geddes, Goedde, Hill, Jorgenson, Kelly, Keough,
      Langhorst, Little, Lodge, Malepeai, Marley, McGee, McKenzie, Pearce,
      Richardson, Schroeder, Stegner, Stennett, Sweet, Werk, Williams
      NAYS -- None
      Absent and excused -- None
    Floor Sponsor - McKenzie
    Title apvd - to House
03/15    To enrol
03/16    Rpt enrol - Sp signed
03/17    Pres signed - To Governor
03/22    Governor signed
         Session Law Chapter 103
         Effective: 03/22/06

Bill Text


                                                                        
                                                                        
  ]]]]              LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO             ]]]]
 Fifty-eighth Legislature                   Second Regular Session - 2006
                                                                        
                                                                        
                              IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
                                                                        
                                     HOUSE BILL NO. 718
                                                                        
                                 BY STATE AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
                                                                        
  1                                        AN ACT
  2    RELATING TO PUBLIC RECORDS; AMENDING SECTION 9-338, IDAHO CODE, TO  PROVIDE  A
  3        LIMITATION  ON  A  FEE  THAT  MAY  BE CHARGED, TO PROVIDE THAT STATISTICAL
  4        INFORMATION DESCRIPTIVE OF AN IDENTIFIABLE PERSON MAY BE DISCLOSED  UNLESS
  5        PROHIBITED BY LAW, TO AUTHORIZE A PUBLIC AGENCY OR INDEPENDENT PUBLIC BODY
  6        CORPORATE  AND  POLITIC TO PROVIDE A COPY OF A PUBLIC RECORD IN ELECTRONIC
  7        FORM IF THE RECORD IS AVAILABLE IN ELECTRONIC FORM AND AN ELECTRONIC  COPY
  8        IS SPECIFICALLY REQUESTED, TO PROVIDE THAT A REQUEST FOR AND DELIVERY OF A
  9        PUBLIC  RECORD MAY BE CONDUCTED BY ELECTRONIC MAIL AND TO MAKE A TECHNICAL
 10        CORRECTION; AMENDING SECTION 9-339, IDAHO CODE, TO PROVIDE AN EXCEPTION TO
 11        THE REQUIREMENT TO PROVIDE A PUBLIC RECORD WITHIN A  SPECIFIED  TIME;  AND
 12        DECLARING AN EMERGENCY.
                                                                        
 13    Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Idaho:
                                                                        
 14        SECTION  1.  That  Section  9-338,  Idaho Code, be, and the same is hereby
 15    amended to read as follows:
                                                                        
 16        9-338.  PUBLIC RECORDS -- RIGHT TO EXAMINE. (1) Every person has  a  right
 17    to  examine  and take a copy of any public record of this state and there is a
 18    presumption that all public records in Idaho are open at all reasonable  times
 19    for inspection except as otherwise expressly provided by statute.
 20        (2)  The right to copy public records shall include the right to make pho-
 21    tographs  or photographic or other copies while the records are in the posses-
 22    sion of the custodian of the records using equipment provided  by  the  public
 23    agency  or  independent  public  body corporate and politic or using equipment
 24    designated by the custodian.
 25        (3)  Additionally, the custodian of any public record shall give the  per-
 26    son, on demand, a certified copy of it if the record is of a nature permitting
 27    such  copying  or shall furnish reasonable opportunity to inspect or copy such
 28    record.
 29        (4)  The custodian shall make no inquiry of any person who applies  for  a
 30    public  record,  except to verify the identity of a person requesting a record
 31    in accordance with section 9-342, Idaho Code, to  ensure  that  the  requested
 32    record  or information will not be used for purposes of a mailing or telephone
 33    list prohibited by section 9-348, Idaho Code, or as otherwise provided by law,
 34    and except as required for purposes of protecting  personal  information  from
 35    disclosure  under chapter 2, title 49, Idaho Code, and federal law. The person
 36    may be required to make a written request and provide their  name,  a  mailing
 37    address  and  telephone  number. , and except as required for purposes of pro-
 38    tecting personal information from disclosure under chapter 2, title 49,  Idaho
 39    Code, and federal law
 40        (5)  The  custodian shall not review, examine or scrutinize any copy, pho-
 41    tograph or memoranda in the possession of any such person and shall extend  to
 42    the  person  all  reasonable comfort and facility for the full exercise of the
 43    right granted under this act.
                                                                        
                                           2
                                                                        
  1        (6)  Nothing herein contained shall prevent the custodian from maintaining
  2    such vigilance as is required to prevent alteration of any public record while
  3    it is being examined.
  4        (7)  Examination of public records under the  authority  of  this  section
  5    must  be conducted during regular office or working hours unless the custodian
  6    shall authorize examination of records in other than regular office or working
  7    hours. In this event, the persons designated to represent the custodian during
  8    such examination shall be entitled to reasonable  compensation to be  paid  to
  9    them  by  the  public  agency or independent public body corporate and politic
 10    having custody of such records, out of funds provided in advance by the person
 11    examining such records, at other than regular office or working hours.
 12        (8)  (a)  A public agency or independent public body corporate and politic
 13        or public official may establish a copying fee schedule. The fee  may  not
 14        exceed  the actual cost to the agency of copying the record if another fee
 15        is not otherwise provided by law. The actual cost shall  not  include  any
 16        administrative or labor costs resulting from locating and providing a copy
 17        of  the  public record; provided however, that a public agency or indepen-
 18        dent public body corporate and politic or public official may establish  a
 19        fee  to recover the actual labor cost associated with locating and copying
 20        documents if:
 21             (i)   The request is for more than one hundred (100) pages  of  paper
 22             records; or
 23             (ii)  The  request  includes records from which nonpublic information
 24             must be deleted; or
 25             (iii) The actual labor associated with locating and copying documents
 26             for a request exceeds two (2) person  hours.
 27        (b)  For providing a duplicate of a computer tape, computer  disc,  micro-
 28        film or similar or analogous record system containing public record infor-
 29        mation,  a  public agency or independent public body corporate and politic
 30        or public official may charge a fee, uniform to all persons that does  not
 31        exceed the sum of the following:
 32             (i)   The  agency's  direct  cost  of copying the information in that
 33             form;
 34             (ii)  The standard cost, if any, for selling the same information  in
 35             the form of a publication;
 36             (iii) The  agency's  cost  of  conversion,  or the cost of conversion
 37             charged by a third party, if the existing electronic record  is  con-
 38             verted to another electronic form.
 39        The  custodian  may  require  advance  payment of the cost of copying. Any
 40        money received by the public agency or independent public  body  corporate
 41        and  politic  shall be credited to the account for which the expense being
 42        reimbursed was or will be charged, and such funds may be expended  by  the
 43        agency as part of its appropriation from that fund.
 44        (c)  The  public  agency  or independent public body corporate and politic
 45        may not charge any cost or fee for copies  or  labor  when  the  requester
 46        demonstrates either:
 47             (i)   The inability to pay; or
 48             (ii)  That the public's interest or the public's understanding of the
 49             operations or activities of government or its records would suffer by
 50             the assessment or collection of any fee.
 51        (9)  A  public  agency  or  independent  public body corporate and politic
 52    shall not prevent the examination or copying of a public record by contracting
 53    with a nongovernmental body to perform any of its duties or functions.
 54        (10) Nothing contained herein shall prevent a public agency or independent
 55    public body corporate and politic from disclosing statistical information that
                                                                        
                                           3
                                                                        
  1    is not descriptive of an identifiable person or persons, unless prohibited  by
  2    law.
  3        (11) Nothing contained herein shall prevent a public agency or independent
  4    public  body corporate and politic from providing a copy of a public record in
  5    electronic form if the record is available in electronic form and if the  per-
  6    son  specifically  requests  an electronic copy. A request for a public record
  7    and delivery of the public record may be conducted by electronic mail.
                                                                        
  8        SECTION 2.  That Section 9-339, Idaho Code, be, and  the  same  is  hereby
  9    amended to read as follows:
                                                                        
 10        9-339.  RESPONSE  TO REQUEST FOR EXAMINATION OF PUBLIC RECORDS. (1) A pub-
 11    lic agency or independent public body corporate and politic shall either grant
 12    or deny a person's request to examine or copy public records within three  (3)
 13    working  days  of  the  date  of the receipt of the request for examination or
 14    copying. If it is determined by employees of the public agency or  independent
 15    public  body  corporate  and politic that a longer period of time is needed to
 16    locate or retrieve the public records, the public agency or independent public
 17    body corporate and politic shall so notify in writing the person requesting to
 18    examine or copy the records and shall provide the public records to the person
 19    no later than ten (10) working days following the person's  request.  Provided
 20    however,  if  it  is  determined the existing electronic record requested will
 21    first have to be converted to another electronic format by the agency or by  a
 22    third party and that such conversion cannot be completed within ten (10) work-
 23    ing days, the agency shall so notify in writing the person requesting to exam-
 24    ine  or copy the records. The agency shall provide the converted public record
 25    at a time mutually agreed upon between the agency and the requester, with  due
 26    consideration  given  to  any limitations that may exist due to the process of
 27    conversion or due to the use of a third party to make the conversion.
 28        (2)  If the public agency or independent public body corporate and politic
 29    fails to respond, the request shall be deemed to be  denied  within  ten  (10)
 30    working days following the request.
 31        (3)  If the public agency or independent public body corporate and politic
 32    denies  the  person's request for examination or copying the public records or
 33    denies in part and grants in part the person's  request  for  examination  and
 34    copying  of the public records, the person legally responsible for administer-
 35    ing the public agency or independent public body corporate and politic or that
 36    person's designee shall notify the person in writing of the denial or  partial
 37    denial of the request for the public record.
 38        (4)  The  notice of denial or partial denial shall state that the attorney
 39    for the public agency or independent public body  corporate  and  politic  has
 40    reviewed the request or shall state that the public agency or independent pub-
 41    lic  body  corporate  and  politic  has  had an opportunity to consult with an
 42    attorney regarding the request for examination or copying of a record and  has
 43    chosen  not  to do so. The notice of denial or partial denial also shall indi-
 44    cate the statutory authority for the denial and indicate clearly the  person's
 45    right  to  appeal  the denial or partial denial and the time periods for doing
 46    so.
                                                                        
 47        SECTION 3.  An emergency existing  therefor,  which  emergency  is  hereby
 48    declared to exist, this act shall be in full force and effect on and after its
 49    passage and approval.

Statement of Purpose / Fiscal Impact



                       STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

                             RS 16063

This legislation will provide for the transmittal of public
records in electronic form when requested by any person who has a
right to examine such public record. Requests for such public
records may also be made in electronic form.  When necessary,
proof of identification of the requestor may still be in the more
traditional form such as a photocopy of a passport or driver's
license so that the agency can verify the identity of the
requestor.


                           FISCAL NOTE

There is no additional fiscal impact to the state.  It can be
expected that the transmission of public records in electronic
form will in most cases save the state money for photocopying and
postage.




Contact
Name: Representative Phil Hart 
Phone: (208) 332-1000


STATEMENT OF PURPOSE/FISCAL NOTE                         H 718