AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC RECORDS -- ACCESS TO PUBLIC RECORDS -- COST (Provides that fees for costs charged for search, retrieval or copying of public records shall be waived for members of the general assembly who certify that they are acting in their official capacity.)

S2484

2026 -- S 2484
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LC003299
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026
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A N A C T
RELATING TO PUBLIC RECORDS -- ACCESS TO PUBLIC RECORDS -- COST

Introduced By:
Senators E Morgan, Rogers, Ciccone, de la Cruz, Paolino, Raptakis,
Appollonio, DiPalma, LaMountain, and Tikoian

Date Introduced:
February 06, 2026

Referred To:
Senate Judiciary
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
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SECTION 1. Section 38-2-4 of the General Laws in Chapter 38-2 entitled "Access to Public
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Records" is hereby amended to read as follows:
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38-2-4. Cost.
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(a) Subject to the provisions of § 38-2-3, a public body must allow copies to be made or
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provide copies of public records. The cost per copied page of written documents provided to the
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public shall not exceed fifteen cents ($.15) per page for documents copyable on common business
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or legal size paper. A public body may not charge more than the reasonable actual cost for providing
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electronic records or retrieving records from storage where the public body is assessed a retrieval
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fee.
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(b) A reasonable charge may be made for the search or retrieval of documents. Hourly costs
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for a search and retrieval shall not exceed fifteen dollars ($15.00) per hour and no costs shall be
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charged for the first hour of a search or retrieval. For the purposes of this subsection, multiple
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requests from any person or entity to the same public body within a thirty (30) day time period shall
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be considered one request.
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(c) Copies of documents shall be provided and the search and retrieval of documents
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accomplished within a reasonable time after a request. A public body upon request, shall provide
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an estimate of the costs of a request for documents prior to providing copies.
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(d) Upon request, the public body shall provide a detailed itemization of the costs charged
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for search and retrieval.

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(e) A court may reduce or waive the fees for costs charged for search or retrieval if it
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determines that the information requested is in the public interest because it is likely to contribute
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significantly to public understanding of the operations or activities of the government and is not
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primarily in the commercial interest of the requester.
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(f) The fees for costs charged for search, retrieval or copying shall be waived for members
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of the general assembly who certify that they are acting in their official capacity and require the
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copies for the discharge of their legislative duties.
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SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
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EXPLANATION
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
OF
A N A C T
RELATING TO PUBLIC RECORDS -- ACCESS TO PUBLIC RECORDS -- COST
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This act would provide that fees for costs charged for search, retrieval or copying of public
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records shall be waived for members of the general assembly who certify that they are acting in
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their official capacity.
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This act would take effect upon passage.
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