COLUMBUS, Ohio -Government officials will be required to take classes on Ohio's public records laws and would face a $250 a day penalty for noncompliance under a bill introduced Monday.
Rep. Scott Oelslager, a Canton Republican, worked with Attorney General Jim Petro and Frank Deaner, president of the Ohio Newspaper Association, to draft the legislation.
The bill requires that offices have written public records policies and bans officials from limiting the availability of records by asking the name of the person requesting information or what the information will be used for.
These records belong to the people who paid for them with their tax dollars and they should be readily accessible
Oelslager said in a release.
A survey by the Newspaper Association and The Associated Press released in June found public employees followed the law only about half the time when asked to provide common records on an unconditional and timely basis as required by law.
The proposed bill also would establish a fine of $250 per business day if a public office fails to provide a record to a requester by an agreed date or after the requester files a court action.
The education of public officials, written policies and remedies for citizens who request the records are essential for more openness in government Petro said.
-The Associated Press
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