Monday, January 16, 2012

Indiana Legislature To Consider Fines For Open Records Violations

The Indiana General Assembly is considering a bill, House Bill 1093, that would impose fines upon government officials or agencies that are found to have violated the state's public records law or the open door law. The fine would be $100 for the first offense and $500 for repeated offenses, with the state's Public Access Counselor responsible for determining if a violation occurred. The bill also calls for the creation of a fund to be used by the Public Access Counselor to educate government officials as well as the public about the open records laws.

HB 1093 is sponsored by Representatives Kevin Mahan and Kathy Kreag Richardson. The bill is scheduled for its first hearing in the House's Government and Regulatory Reform Committee on Tuesday, January 17th. Representative Mahan chairs the committee; other members of the committee are:

--John Bartlett
--Bob Heaton
--Matt Lehman
--Wendy McNamara
--Mara Candelaria Reardon
--Scott Reske
--Milo Smith
--Steven R. Stemler
--Mary Ann Sullivan
--Randy Truitt
--Timothy Wesco
--David A. Wolkins

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