Pfeiffer Comments on Passage of Open Records Legislation
OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. John Pfeiffer, R-Orlando, today commented on the passage of a bill intended to expedite the fulfillment of open records' requests. House Bill 2163 would statutorily create a public access counselor position in the state attorney general's office to review open records requests of state agencies when they've been denied or delayed. "This will give private individuals, the media and lawmakers recourse and hopefully will speed up the process of the release of these public records," Pfeiffer said. "The way it is now in statute, the only recourse is to take the matter to district court. This will put an intermediary into the process to reduce time and court cost. This would result in better transparency and accountability." The state attorney general is supportive of the legislation saying it will allow his office the ability to investigate and prosecute any unlawful withholding of records. The Oklahoma Press Association is supportive of the bill as well. The bill passed in the House and now moves to the Senate where it is authored by Brent Howard, R-Altus. Pfeiffer also passed House Bill 2166 and House Bill 2167 . HB2166 would clarify what constitutes a legal newspaper of general circulation within Oklahoma for the purpose of publishing legal notices and other required communications. The measure creates a second class of newspaper for counties – a non-periodical permit newspaper – that would still maintain high standards but allows notices to be placed without having to use the U.S. Postal Service. HB2167 would increase the fee a newspaper can charge for publishing legal notices. The rate has been unchanged since 2005. It also would establish minimum column width sizes and deadlines for such notices. Pfeiffer said the notices primarily record when county governments are taking something from citizens or taking an action that impacts them. These measures also passed to the Senate where they are authored by Sen. Bill Coleman, R-Ponca City.