SALEM, Ore. (Legal Newsline) — Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum announced April 18 that her public record reform legislation, Senate Bill 481, was unanimously advanced by the state’s Senate and will go before the House for a full vote.
The new bill would mandate that public bodies acknowledge having received public records requests within five business days and either respond to the request or provide a written explanation of when the request will be responded to within ten days.
"During more than a year of task force meetings and listening sessions with journalists, advocates and the public—we heard loud and clear that our public records laws are in need of reform,” Rosenblum said. “This bill addresses the issue of lack of timely access to records and begins to address the confusion created by 40 years of piecemeal exemptions to laws originally intended to promote transparency. I want to thank Sen. Lee Beyer and Sen. Jeff Kruse for carrying this bill on the Senate floor, and I look forward to a full vote in the Oregon House.”
