Bill Text: MS HB1302 | 2014 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Public records; revise requirements for production of records related to negotiations of purchases, contracts and leases.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Failed) 2014-02-13 - Died On Calendar [HB1302 Detail]
Download: Mississippi-2014-HB1302-Introduced.html
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2014 Regular Session
To: Judiciary A
By: Representative Turner
House Bill 1302
AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 25-61-5, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROVIDE THAT PUBLIC RECORDS THAT ARE PART OF A QUOTATION, BID, REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS OR REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL SHALL BE PRODUCED BY THE PUBLIC BODY WITHIN A CERTAIN TIME AFTER THE EXECUTION OF THE PERTINENT PURCHASE, CONTRACT AND/OR LEASE; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:
SECTION 1. Section 25-61-5, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
25-61-5. (1) (a) Except as otherwise provided by Sections 25-61-9 and 25-61-11, all public records are hereby declared to be public property, and any person shall have the right to inspect, copy or mechanically reproduce or obtain a reproduction of any public record of a public body in accordance with reasonable written procedures adopted by the public body concerning the cost, time, place and method of access, and public notice of the procedures shall be given by the public body, or, if a public body has not adopted written procedures, the right to inspect, copy or mechanically reproduce or obtain a reproduction of a public record of the public body shall be provided within one (1) working day after a written request for a public record is made. Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (b) of this subsection (1), no public body shall adopt procedures which will authorize the public body to produce or deny production of a public record later than seven (7) working days from the date of the receipt of the request for the production of the record.
(b) If a public body
is unable to produce a public record by the seventh working day after the
request is made, the public body must provide a written explanation to the
person making the request stating that the record requested will be produced
and specifying with particularity why the records cannot be produced within the
seven-day period. * * * In no event shall the
date for the public body's production of the requested records be any later
than fourteen (14) working days from the receipt by the public body of the
original request, unless there is mutual agreement of the parties or the
information requested is part of ongoing negotiations related to a quotation,
bid, request for qualifications or request for proposal. Production of
requested information that is part of a quotation, bid, request of
qualifications or request for proposal shall be no later than seven (7) working
days after the execution of the pertinent purchase, contract and/or lease.
(2) If any public record contains material which is not exempted under this chapter, the public agency shall redact the exempted and make the nonexempted material available for examination. Such public agency shall be entitled to charge a reasonable fee for the redaction of any exempted material, not to exceed the agency's actual cost.
(3) Denial by a public body of a request for access to or copies of public records under this chapter shall be in writing and shall contain a statement of the specific exemption relied upon by the public body for the denial. Each public body shall maintain a file of all denials of requests for public records. Public bodies shall be required to preserve such denials on file for not less than three (3) years from the date such denials are made. This file shall be made available for inspection or copying, or both, during regular office hours to any person upon written request.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2014.
