Montgomery, Alabama
The Alabama Senate on Thursday advanced legislation aimed at strengthening the state’s open records law by setting deadlines to respond to requests to view public documents.“Right now, under current law, it’s the wild west. We don’t have timelines for governments or universities to respond in due time,” Republican Sen. Arthur Orr, the bill’s sponsor, said.
The legislation would require a public records officer to acknowledge the receipt of a simple request within 10 days and then “provide a substantive response” to the request within 15 additional business days. Public entities would be given more time to respond to requests that would require more than eight hours of work to fulfill.
A 2007 comparison of state open records laws conducted by the Better Government Association and the National Freedom of Information Coalition ranked Alabama at the bottom of the nation. While the review gave 38 states, including Alabama, an “F” grade, Alabama tied for last place in the comparative rankings.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Montgomery County shooting: Man, woman found dead at home near MontgomeryA man and a woman were found shot to death in the 25900 block of Avenue C near Montgomery.
Read more »
Alabama Tap Old Dominion, Shenandoah, Montgomery Gentry for June Jam XVIIIAlabama have announced the lineup for June Jam VIII — taking place June 1 in Fort Payne, Alabama — featuring Old Dominion, Shenandoah, and more.
Read more »
Officials: Federal investigators raid Sean 'Diddy' Combs' homes in Los Angeles, MiamiMontgomery, Alabama
Read more »
A list of major U.S. bridge collapses caused by ships and bargesMontgomery, Alabama
Read more »
Cargo ship hits Baltimore bridge, bringing it down. Rescuers are looking for people in waterMontgomery, Alabama
Read more »
Equal Justice Initiative unveils Freedom Movement Sculpture ParkMontgomery, Alabama
Read more »