Alabama aims for transparency through new public records law
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DECATUR, Ala. (WHNT) — An Alabama law that sets new deadlines for governments and public organizations to respond to public records requests has been signed by the governor.
The public records reforms, signed by Gov. Kay Ivey on Wednesday, will provide a structured timeline for people requesting information from government organizations in Alabama. The law marks the first time the state has put deadlines in place for government officials to respond to requests and is the most significant amendment added to Alabama’s public records law in 50 years.
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“Right now, under our current system it goes on forever and ever in 45-day increments with really no shutoff period where you can go to court and litigate the matter before a judge,” Alabama Senator Arthur Orr said.
Orr, who sponsored the bill, describes Alabama’s public records law as one of the weakest in the country.
“A lot of governments or governmental bodies don’t even acknowledge receipt of such requests,” Orr said. “They just ignore them.”
Nick Perkins has been looking for accountability from his local government in Decatur since the police-involved shooting death of his brother Steve last September.
“Dealing with the government is a process,” Perkins said. “We did not know that until the recent acts to our family.”
The Perkins family has requested the police body camera footage from the night of the shooting, working with state lawmakers to increase public access to police records. That legislation did not pass this year, but the Perkins family continues to pursue transparency and further answers in the case.
“I do believe this bill will catapult us forward in the passing of the Jawan Dallas and Steve Perkins Act in the future,” Perkins said. “I think this new piece is giving us more hope than we had before.”
The new law requires a response within 15 days of the request date, as long as the information can be gathered in eight hours or less. If the record’s request will take more than 8 hours to fulfill, the government organization or public entity has 45 days to respond.
Orr said this legislation is a first step.
“We still have a long way to go if we want to have the transparent government that our citizens deserve,” Orr said.
When Gov. Ivey signed the law Wednesday, she said she is committed to increasing efficiency and people’s access to government.
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