The bill amends Section 38-2-4 of the General Laws regarding the cost of accessing public records. It establishes that the cost for copying written documents shall not exceed fifteen cents ($0.15) per page, while the charge for search or retrieval of documents is increased from fifteen dollars ($15.00) to twenty-five dollars ($25.00) per hour, with the first hour of search or retrieval being free. Additionally, the bill mandates that public bodies provide an estimate of costs prior to fulfilling a request and requires them to itemize the charges for search and retrieval.

Furthermore, the bill introduces a new provision stating that any individual requesting documents must pay any outstanding balance owed for previous records requests before their new request can be processed. This change aims to ensure that public bodies can recover costs associated with fulfilling records requests and emphasizes the importance of maintaining a clear financial record for such requests. The act will take effect upon passage.

Statutes affected:
5457: 38-2-4