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Legislation setting a deadline for government entities and other public bodies to respond to a Freedom of Information request was among the bills pre-filed on Thursday in the House of Representatives.
The Delaware General Assembly reconvenes next month.
Rep. E. Bradford “Brad” Bennett (D-Dover South), House Bill 300’s sponsor, said the issue was brought to his attention after the state Legislature passed legislation this spring placing itself under the state’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Currently, state law does not include any time limit for public bodies to respond to or fulfill FOIA requests.
HB 300 would set a deadline of 10 business days to grant access to public records.
“A request can sit for months without a response,” Bennett said. “Public information should be readily accessible to any citizen, and any person who makes a FOIA request for public records deserves a prompt response.
This bill further improves the FOIA bill that House Speaker Bob Gilligan (D-Sherwood Park) and Sen. Karen Peterson (D-Stanton) passed earlier this year.
Under HB 300, any FOIA request for a public record must be granted within 10 business days from the receipt of the request. However, the public entity can extend that deadline if the request is for “voluminous records, requires legal advice” or if the record is in storage. In those situations, the agency or entity must inform the person making the request within 10 business days of the need for additional time.
HB 300, which has 21 House co-sponsors and nine Senate co-sponsors, has been assigned to the House Administration Committee.
Legislation setting a deadline for government entities and other public bodies to respond to a Freedom of Information request was among the bills pre-filed on Thursday in the House of Representatives.
The Delaware General Assembly reconvenes next month.
Rep. E. Bradford “Brad” Bennett (D-Dover South), House Bill 300’s sponsor, said the issue was brought to his attention after the state Legislature passed legislation this spring placing itself under the state’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Currently, state law does not include any time limit for public bodies to respond to or fulfill FOIA requests.
HB 300 would set a deadline of 10 business days to grant access to public records.
“A request can sit for months without a response,” Bennett said. “Public information should be readily accessible to any citizen, and any person who makes a FOIA request for public records deserves a prompt response.
This bill further improves the FOIA bill that House Speaker Bob Gilligan (D-Sherwood Park) and Sen. Karen Peterson (D-Stanton) passed earlier this year.
Under HB 300, any FOIA request for a public record must be granted within 10 business days from the receipt of the request. However, the public entity can extend that deadline if the request is for “voluminous records, requires legal advice” or if the record is in storage. In those situations, the agency or entity must inform the person making the request within 10 business days of the need for additional time.
HB 300, which has 21 House co-sponsors and nine Senate co-sponsors, has been assigned to the House Administration Committee.
