2014 -- S 2880

========

LC005322

========

     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2014

____________

A N   A C T

RELATING TO PUBLIC RECORDS

     

     Introduced By: Senators Gallo, Metts, McCaffrey, and Lombardi

     Date Introduced: April 09, 2014

     Referred To: Senate Judiciary

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

1

     SECTION 1. Section 38-2-2 of the General Laws in Chapter 38-2 entitled "Access to

2

Public Records" is hereby amended to read as follows:

3

     38-2-2. Definitions. -- As used in this chapter:

4

      (1) "Agency" or "public body" means any executive, legislative, judicial, regulatory, or

5

administrative body of the state, or any political subdivision thereof; including, but not limited to,

6

any department, division, agency, commission, board, office, bureau, authority, any school, fire,

7

or water district, or other agency of Rhode Island state or local government which exercises

8

governmental functions, any authority as defined in section 42-35-1(b), or any other public or

9

private agency, person, partnership, corporation, or business entity acting on behalf of and/or in

10

place of any public agency.

11

      (2) "Chief administrative officer" means the highest authority of the public body.

12

      (3) "Public business" means any matter over which the public body has supervision,

13

control, jurisdiction, or advisory power.

14

      (4) "Public record" or "public records" shall mean all documents, papers, letters, maps,

15

books, tapes, photographs, films, sound recordings, magnetic or other tapes, electronic data

16

processing records, computer stored data (including electronic mail messages, except specifically

17

for any electronic mail messages of or to elected officials with or relating to those they represent

18

and correspondence of or to elected officials in their official capacities) or other material

19

regardless of physical form or characteristics made or received pursuant to law or ordinance or in

 

1

connection with the transaction of official business by any agency. For the purposes of this

2

chapter, the following records shall not be deemed public:

3

      (A) (I) (a) All records relating to a client/attorney relationship and to a doctor/patient

4

relationship, including all medical information relating to an individual in any files.

5

      (b) Personnel and other personal individually-identifiable records otherwise deemed

6

confidential by federal or state law or regulation, or the disclosure of which would constitute a

7

clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy pursuant to 5 U.S.C. section 552 et. seq.;

8

provided, however, with respect to employees, and employees of contractors and subcontractors

9

working on public works projects which are required to be listed as certified payrolls, the name,

10

gross salary, salary range, total cost of paid fringe benefits, gross amount received in overtime,

11

and any other remuneration in addition to salary, job title, job description, dates of employment

12

and positions held with the state, municipality, employment contract, or public works contractor

13

or subcontractor on public works projects work location, and/or project, business telephone

14

number, the city or town of residence, and date of termination shall be public. For the purposes of

15

this section "remuneration" shall include any payments received by an employee as a result of

16

termination, or otherwise leaving employment, including, but not limited to, payments for

17

accrued sick and/or vacation time, severance pay, or compensation paid pursuant to a contract

18

buy-out provision.

19

      (II) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, or any other provision of the general

20

laws to the contrary, the pension records of all persons who are either current or retired members

21

of any public retirement systems as well as all persons who become members of those retirement

22

systems after June 17, 1991 shall be open for public inspection. "Pension records" as used in this

23

section shall include all records containing information concerning pension and retirement

24

benefits of current and retired members of the retirement systems and future members of said

25

systems, including all records concerning retirement credits purchased and the ability of any

26

member of the retirement system to purchase retirement credits, but excluding all information

27

regarding the medical condition of any person and all information identifying the member's

28

designated beneficiary or beneficiaries unless and until the member's designated beneficiary or

29

beneficiaries have received or are receiving pension and/or retirement benefits through the

30

retirement system.

31

      (B) Trade secrets and commercial or financial information obtained from a person, firm,

32

or corporation which is of a privileged or confidential nature.

33

      (C) Child custody and adoption records, records of illegitimate births, and records of

34

juvenile proceedings before the family court.

 

LC005322 - Page 2 of 5

1

      (D) All records maintained by law enforcement agencies for criminal law enforcement

2

and all records relating to the detection and investigation of crime, including those maintained on

3

any individual or compiled in the course of a criminal investigation by any law enforcement

4

agency. Provided, however, such records shall not be deemed public only to the extent that the

5

disclosure of the records or information (a) could reasonably be expected to interfere with

6

investigations of criminal activity or with enforcement proceedings, (b) would deprive a person of

7

a right to a fair trial or an impartial adjudication, (c) could reasonably be expected to constitute an

8

unwarranted invasion of personal privacy, (d) could reasonably be expected to disclose the

9

identity of a confidential source, including a state, local, or foreign agency or authority, or any

10

private institution which furnished information on a confidential basis, or the information

11

furnished by a confidential source, (e) would disclose techniques and procedures for law

12

enforcement investigations or prosecutions, or would disclose guidelines for law enforcement

13

investigations or prosecutions or (f) could reasonably be expected to endanger the life or physical

14

safety of any individual. Records relating to management and direction of a law enforcement

15

agency and records or reports reflecting the initial arrest of an adult and the charge or charges

16

brought against an adult shall be public.

17

      (E) Any records which would not be available by law or rule of court to an opposing

18

party in litigation.

19

      (F) Scientific and technological secrets and the security plans of military and law

20

enforcement agencies, the disclosure of which would endanger the public welfare and security.

21

      (G) Any records which disclose the identity of the contributor of a bona fide and lawful

22

charitable contribution to the public body whenever public anonymity has been requested of the

23

public body with respect to the contribution by the contributor.

24

      (H) Reports and statements of strategy or negotiation involving labor negotiations or

25

collective bargaining.

26

      (I) Reports and statements of strategy or negotiation with respect to the investment or

27

borrowing of public funds, until such time as those transactions are entered into.

28

      (J) Any minutes of a meeting of a public body which are not required to be disclosed

29

pursuant to chapter 46 of title 42.

30

      (K) Preliminary drafts, notes, impressions, memoranda, working papers, and work

31

products; provided, however, any documents submitted at a public meeting of a public body shall

32

be deemed public.

33

      (L) Test questions, scoring keys, and other examination data used to administer a

34

licensing examination, examination for employment or promotion, or academic examinations;

 

LC005322 - Page 3 of 5

1

provided, however, that a person shall have the right to review the results of his or her

2

examination.

3

      (M) Correspondence of or to elected officials with or relating to those they represent and

4

correspondence of or to elected officials in their official capacities.

5

      (N) The contents of real estate appraisals, engineering, or feasibility estimates and

6

evaluations made for or by an agency relative to the acquisition of property or to prospective

7

public supply and construction contracts, until such time as all of the property has been acquired

8

or all proceedings or transactions have been terminated or abandoned; provided the law of

9

eminent domain shall not be affected by this provision.

10

      (O) All tax returns.

11

      (P) All investigatory records of public bodies, with the exception of law enforcement

12

agencies, pertaining to possible violations of statute, rule, or regulation other than records of final

13

actions taken provided that all records prior to formal notification of violations or noncompliance

14

shall not be deemed to be public.

15

      (Q) Records of individual test scores on professional certification and licensing

16

examinations; provided, however, that a person shall have the right to review the results of his or

17

her examination.

18

      (R) Requests for advisory opinions until such time as the public body issues its opinion.

19

      (S) Records, reports, opinions, information, and statements required to be kept

20

confidential by federal law or regulation or state law, or rule of court.

21

      (T) Judicial bodies are included in the definition only in respect to their administrative

22

function provided that records kept pursuant to the provisions of chapter 16 of title 8 are exempt

23

from the operation of this chapter.

24

      (U) Library records which by themselves or when examined with other public records,

25

would reveal the identity of the library user requesting, checking out, or using any library

26

materials.

27

      (V) Printouts from TELE -- TEXT devices used by people who are deaf or hard of

28

hearing or speech impaired.

29

      (W) All records received by the insurance division of the department of business

30

regulation from other states, either directly or through the National Association of Insurance

31

Commissioners, if those records are accorded confidential treatment in that state. Nothing

32

contained in this title or any other provision of law shall prevent or be construed as prohibiting

33

the commissioner of insurance from disclosing otherwise confidential information to the

34

insurance department of this or any other state or country, at any time, so long as the agency or

 

LC005322 - Page 4 of 5

1

office receiving the records agrees in writing to hold it confidential in a manner consistent with

2

the laws of this state.

3

      (X) Credit card account numbers in the possession of state or local government are

4

confidential and shall not be deemed public records.

5

      (Y) Any documentary material, answers to written interrogatories, or oral testimony

6

provided under any subpoena issued under Rhode Island general law section 9-1.1-6.

7

      (Z) Any individually identifiable evaluations of public school superintendents,

8

administrators, principals, teachers and all other school employees made pursuant to state or

9

federal law or regulation.

10

      (AA) All documents prepared by school districts intended to be used by school districts

11

in protecting the safety of their students from potential and actual threats.

12

     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

========

LC005322

========

 

LC005322 - Page 5 of 5

EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO PUBLIC RECORDS

***

1

     This act would include any individually identifiable evaluations of public school

2

superintendents, administrators, principals, teachers and all other school employees as a public

3

record.

4

     This act would take effect upon passage.

========

LC005322

========

 

LC005322 - Page 6 of 5