Last year, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb gave proponents of unfettered public access to government records a reason to cheer by vetoing a bill that would have imposed a $20 per hour search fee for some public records requests.
Holcomb argued the 2017 bill was "contrary to my commitment to providing great government service at a great value for Hoosier taxpayers."
This year, the Hoosier public can cheer for a new bill, adopted by the General Assembly and awaiting the governor's signature, to enhance public access to government records and data.
Region lawmakers Rep. Hal Slager, R-Schererville; Sen. Rick Niemeyer, R-Lowell; Rep. Mike Aylesworth, R-Hebron; Sen. Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago, and Sen. Mike Bohacek, D-Michiana Shores, all deserve credit for playing a role as either authors or sponsors of the new measure.
Specifically, the bill guarantees citizens the right to obtain public records in electronic format, such as in Word, Excel, PDF or other data formats, when the material is available in such fashion. And it prohibits a copying fee for such records.
The new measure potentially makes public analysis of records much less cumbersome, and in some cases much less costly. Previously, state law did not require records to be provided electronically, meaning requests for large amounts of data could be provided on cumbersome paper printouts of hundreds or even thousands of pages, with copying fees charged per page.
The bill also is a stroke of victory for good government. Providing public records through emails, thumb drives or downloads is far more efficient than asking government employees to make paper copies.
Free flow of information is the best way of promoting transparency, accountability and honesty within government. The electronic records bill bolsters those principles.
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