MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The Alabama Senate on Thursday advanced legislation aimed at strengthening the state’s weak open records law by setting deadlines to respond to requests to view public documents.
Senators voted 29-0 for the legislation. The bill now moves to the House.
“Right now, under current law, it’s the wild west. We don’t have timelines for governments or universities to respond in due time,” Republican Sen. Arthur Orr, the bill’s sponsor, said.
Alabama’s public records law says any citizen has the right to inspect and take copies of public writings, except for those exempted by law. However, it does not provide deadlines for responses.
The legislation would require a public records officer to acknowledge the receipt of a simple request within 10 days and then “provide a substantive response” to the request within 15 additional business days. Public entities would be given more time to respond to requests that would require more than eight hours of work to fulfill.
The number of Americans applying for jobless benefits holds steady as labor market remains strong
Netflix fans are left STUNNED by the streaming site's 'most UNHINGED' show yet
Kirsten Dunst says she STILL gets a Christmas cake from Interview With The Vampire co
Kanye West's ex Julia Fox gives Bianca Censori a run for her money in an X
Ryan Pepiot pitches 6 strong innings as Rays beat Angels 2
9/11 first responder 'who shot a man dead in a South Carolina Chick
OJ Simpson dead at 76 after cancer battle: Football legend turned accused double
Rural Texas towns report cyberattacks that caused one water system to overflow
Khloe Kardashian seen for the first time since OJ Simpson's death
Haleigh Bryant helps LSU gymnastics advance to team finals at NCAA women’s championship
Police release name, photo of 'dangerous' suspect in kidnapping