Showing posts with label record. Show all posts
Showing posts with label record. Show all posts

Saturday, February 6, 2016

MA Senate Passes Public Records Reform Bill


Today (2/4/16) the Massachusetts State Senate unanimously passed legislation reforming how the state handles public records.  The legislation, originally sponsored by Senator Jason Lewis, is the first update to the public records law since the early 1970s.

"An accessible, transparent government is fundamental to the democratic process," said Senator Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). "This bill strengthens our public records law to improve access and make the process of requesting records simpler, clearer and more fair. Thank you to my colleagues in the Senate and advocates on all sides of this issue for engaging in a collaborative effort to bring our public records law into the 21st century, while providing flexibility for municipalities and agencies."

The legislation will reduce costs for records requestors and ensure timely compliance with public records requests. The bill also brings Massachusetts in line with 47 other states and the federal government in allowing attorney's fees to be awarded to plaintiffs who are victorious in court when denied records. The bill requires attorney fees to be awarded, except in certain defined situations.

Under the legislation, each state agency and municipality is required to appoint at least one public records access officer to serve as the point of contact for all public records requests and coordinate a timely and thorough response.  The public records officer does not have to be a new employee. 

The bill limits the amount that state agencies and municipalities can charge for production of the records.  The limits are set at 5 cents per page for copies, down from 20 to 50 cents per page under current law, and the cost of a storage device.  The bill requires state agencies to provide four free hours of employee time and two free hours for municipalities. Charges for requests that require more time are limited to $25 per hour. 

The bill prohibits charging for records if the agency or municipality does not provide the record within 15 days of the request or does not respond to the requestor within ten days.  It also requires punitive damages up to $5,000 if a court determines the government entity did not act in good faith. 

Finally the bill requires state entities and encourages municipalities to post online many commonly requested public records.  In addition, records are required to be provided in electronic format unless requested otherwise.

The bill will now be reconciled with the version passed by the House of Representatives before being sent to the Governor. 



Franklin Matters Note: this is a good improvement over the House version but still not enough. What will come out of the Senate House reconciliation remains to be seen.

Thursday, November 19, 2015

In the News: 'Tis the season, public records, OPEB liability explained

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin
"The Franklin Performing Arts Company will host a special performance of the original holiday musical “’Tis the Season!” for community youth, family and social services organizations at 3 p.m. Dec. 19 at the Franklin High School auditorium, 118 Oak St. 
FPAC will distribute complimentary tickets for the performance through community organizations including the Hockomock Area YMCA, local Best Buddies chapters and the Franklin Food Pantry."

Read the full article online here (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20151118/NEWS/151115487/1994/NEWS



"Ahead of the unanimous passage of what they said was the first public records overhaul in more than four decades on Wednesday, a key House lawmaker said the measure would increase transparency without adding an unfunded mandate on cities and towns. 
"As a former local official and someone who pays a lot of attention to municipal government, I don't view anything in this bill as an unfunded mandate," House Ways and Means Committee Vice Chairman Stephen Kulik said. He said, "Any public agency, including cities and towns, have responsibilities inherent to provide public access to the documents of what they do."

Read the full article online here (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20151118/NEWS/151115463/1994/NEWS



"The Town Council was told at its meeting Wednesday that Franklin is in relatively good shape in terms of other post-employment benefits (OPEB), but should continue to ramp up its contributions. 
Consultant Dan Sherman gave a presentation to the council on the concept."

Read the full article online here (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20151118/NEWS/151115448/1994/NEWS

Monday, November 16, 2015

In the News: public records, Bye Bye Birdie

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin

Holding out hope for legislative action on a public records overhaul, Secretary of State William Galvin said he and his allies are working to gather signatures for a similar initiative petition by Wednesday's deadline. 
"It's a hustle because it's 64,000 and some change," Galvin told the News Service on Friday. Asked if he would meet the requirement, Galvin said, "I hope. I also hope I don't need them."

Read the full article online here (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20151115/NEWS/151116941/1994/NEWS


Liam Devine, of Franklin, will have a principal role in Dean College’s “Bye Bye Birdie” from Nov. 18 to Nov. 22. 
“Bye Bye Birdie,” set in the 1960s, tells the story of Conrad Birdie, an Elvis-like rock-’n’-roll singer and his hapless agent Albert Peterson. The rock singer travels to a small Ohio town to make his “farewell” television performance and kiss his biggest fan before he is drafted. Songs include “Put on a Happy Face” and “A Lot of Livin’ to Do.”

Read the full article online here (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20151116/NEWS/151116903/1994/NEWS

Friday, August 10, 2012

In the News: dog bylaw, 4th Congressional, record notification, drunk driver



Town Council asks for second draft of new dog bylaw

Tuesday, May 26, 2009