This bill amends New Hampshire's "Right to Know" law (RSA 91-A) to broaden the scope of individuals who can request public records. It replaces the term "citizen" with "person," allowing any individual who is domiciled in New Hampshire, owns property, pays taxes, maintains a business, or is a member of the media to request governmental records. The bill also mandates the disclosure of preliminary drafts circulated to a quorum of a public body, and it allows requests for documents to be made electronically or by mail, thus enhancing accessibility. Additionally, it specifies that public bodies must provide records in the format they are maintained unless certain conditions apply.

Furthermore, the bill modifies the appeal process for decisions made by the Right-to-Know Ombudsman, allowing any party to appeal to the superior court within 30 days of the ruling. The ombudsman's ruling must be attached to the appeal document and considered by the court. The bill eliminates the provision that citizen-initiated appeals have no filing fee, which may introduce a $25 fee for each appeal. Overall, the bill aims to improve transparency and accessibility of governmental records while potentially increasing administrative costs for the Right-to-Know Ombudsman’s office due to a possible rise in case volume.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 91-A:1-a, 91-A:4, 91-A:7-c
As Amended by the House: 91-A:1-a, 91-A:4, 91-A:7-c
As Amended by the House (2nd): 91-A:1-a, 91-A:4, 91-A:7-c