NMFOG News:

SANTA FE — Every New Mexican is guaranteed timely and easy access to public records. House Bill 283 would take that away.

The New Mexico Foundation for Open Government (NMFOG) is standing up against HB 283 because it would make it harder for New Mexicans to get important government records such as birth certificates, property tax info, and car accident reports needed for insurance.

If HB 283 is signed into law:

• There would be a committee to determine punishments for members of the public deemed bothersome by records departments;

• People would have to certify how they plan to use the records they are requesting;
• Regular citizens who don’t properly certify their records request could be charged $30 for every hour employees spend searching for the record;

• Local media outlets that are online-only would have to pay the $30-per-hour fee to get the records they need to report the news, while TV and print media would get them for free; and

• A person would have to wait a month before they could do anything if their records request is denied.

“HB 283 will make it tougher for New Mexicans to access the records they need to go about their lives,” said Christine Barber, executive director of the nonprofit. “It’s the perfect example of a bill that makes things much more convenient for a small group of government employees while greatly inconveniencing 2 million people.”

HB 283 – sponsored by Rep. Christine Chandler, D-Los Alamos – does all this by rewriting entire sections of the Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA), one of New Mexico’s key open government laws.

“Now, more than ever, we should be taking steps to uphold laws that promote transparency and accountability; not upending them,” said Amanda Lavin, legal director for NMFOG. “This bill is a step backwards for government transparency.”