This bill amends Iowa's public records law to enhance the process for handling requests for public records. It specifies that the lawful custodian of the records or their authorized designee must acknowledge a request promptly, provide contact information, and give an approximate date for when an estimate of any reasonable expenses and a response will be available. Additionally, the custodian is required to inform the requester of any expected delays in the production of the requested records.

The bill also clarifies that while the custodian may charge reasonable expenses for fulfilling requests, they should strive to provide records at no cost if the production takes less than thirty minutes. Furthermore, it establishes that any necessary expenses must be communicated to the requester in accordance with section 22.4, subsection 3. Overall, these changes aim to improve transparency and efficiency in the public records request process.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 22.3, 22.4