This bill amends New Hampshire's "Right to Know" law (RSA 91-A) to broaden the scope of individuals who can request public records, allowing any person who is domiciled in New Hampshire, owns property, pays taxes, maintains a business, or is a member of the media to file requests. The bill also includes preliminary drafts of documents distributed to a quorum of a public body as materials that must be disclosed. Additionally, it allows requests for documents to be made electronically or by mail, rather than requiring physical presence at public bodies' premises. The language changes include replacing "every citizen" with "any person" in several sections, thereby expanding access to governmental records.

Furthermore, the bill modifies the appeal process for decisions made by the Right to Know Ombudsman, allowing appeals to be filed in 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 does not impose a filing fee for citizen-initiated appeals, and it specifies that public bodies are not required to provide records electronically if it is unduly burdensome or compromises security. The act is set to take effect 60 days after passage, and while it is expected to have an indeterminable fiscal impact on state and local governments, the overall costs are anticipated to be manageable.

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