[Rusty]

Originally Posted by lagoon

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A bill allowing government officials to charge the public for time spent responding to right-to-know requests received an "Ought to Pass" recommendation from legislators last week, despite strong opposition from civil advocates, local officials and media members.

House Bill 646 would charge anyone making a right-to-know request an upfront fee - in theory covering the cost of retrieving and preparing the records - before they are turned over. It also allows cities and towns to charge for employee labor after the first hour of work associated with a right-to-know request.

Just to make it a little clearer as to what the Bill wants to Amend in RSA 91-A:4, IV , here is what it says:

"If the time required to retrieve the requested records is estimated to exceed one hour, the public body or agency may charge for the cost of labor after the first hour, at a rate not exceeding the applicable minimum wage, and may require payment of the estimated cost before retrieving the records. No charge shall be made for the cost of searching for or retrieving minutes of any public body meeting that occurred less than one year before the date of the request. Any labor charges may be waived for any individual who demonstrates an inability to pay."
https://legiscan.com/NH/text/HB646/2015