public records; notification; commercial purpose

New rules for public records requests

The law requires public officers and bodies to keep and protect records about their official work and publicly funded activities. People requesting records must state whether the request is for a commercial purpose; commercial requests must affirm compliance with state law. Custodians must promptly provide records and, when requested, an index of withheld records with reasons, except information protected by law or court order. A slow response or missing index counts as a denial. Copying and postage charges may apply, but certain records remain free; supervised access is available when the custodian cannot make copies.