CORA bill passes Senate committee with amendment to cap fees
An amendment to HB 14-1193 removes the minimum wage requirement and instead caps research and retrieval fees at $30 per hour with a requirement that the first hour be provided for free.
An amendment to HB 14-1193 removes the minimum wage requirement and instead caps research and retrieval fees at $30 per hour with a requirement that the first hour be provided for free.
An amendment to be proposed caps the hourly rate at $25 for researching and compiling public records, with the maximum rate adjusted for inflation every five years. More significantly, the first two hours would be free.
In a victory for public access to court records, an Arapahoe County judge ordered the unsealing of transcripts in the case against death-row inmate Sir Mario Owens.
A proposal to cap the amount governments in Colorado can charge for public records at four times the state minimum wage won final approval in the state House of Representatives.
A bill to standardize fees for public records in Colorado was amended by lawmakers to cap charges for filling requests for information at four times the state minimum wage.
The Denver Post is right in urging passage of Rep. Joe Salazar’s House Bill 1193 to create a uniform statewide standard for “research and retrieval” fees permitted under the Colorado Open Records Act.
The Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition joined The Denver Post, The New York Times and several other media organizations in asking a judge to unseal court transcripts in the case against death-row inmate Sir Mario Owens.
With the traditional news media facing economic challenges, the CFOIC has evolved to help meet a vital need. The organization is committed to helping not only journalists, but all citizens – the backbone of our democracy – expose the conduct of public business to what Justice Louis Brandeis called the disinfecting power of sunshine.
Winners of open-records lawsuits in Colorado are entitled to attorneys’ fees, even if they succeed in getting only one record released, the Colorado Court of Appeals ruled last week.
Steven D. Zansberg was elected CFOIC president on Wednesday. He succeeds Thomas B. Kelley, who has presided over the coalition’s board and membership since 1997.