Since the 2002 public records audit, the Legislature has updated Maine’s FOAA to:

n Require all law enforcement agencies to adopt written freedom of information policies;

n Require all government bodies to state the precise statute under which a body votes to move into executive session;

n Restrict government bodies to charging “reasonable” fees for photocopies;

n Require government to provide access to public records within a “reasonable” period of time;

n Limit government fees to provide public documents to no charge for the first hour of staff time and capped at $10 per hour for staff time thereafter;

n Require the Legislature to review each exception written into Maine’s FOAA every 10 years to determine if the exceptions should be continued, modified or repealed; and

n Establish a permanent legislative Freedom of Information Advisory Commission to serve as a resource for ensuring compliance with the state’s FOAA.

FOI battle

RIGHT TO KNOW: The Maine Freedom of Information Coalition organized an audit of 89 municipal offices, 40 police stations and 44 school departments to verify compliance Maine’s open records law.

DEJA VU: Though the requested documents were different, the performance was on par with the coalition’s last audit in 2002.

RECOMMENDATIONS: More training and written policies on how to respond to citizen requests for information.

n For more information about Maine’s Freedom of Access Law, including the full text of the law, log on to http://www.mfoic.org/law.htm (for specific page or www.mfoic.org for general site).