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H.B. 122

             1     

GOVERNMENT RECORDS ACCESS AND

             2     
MANAGEMENT ACT AMENDMENTS

             3     
2009 GENERAL SESSION

             4     
STATE OF UTAH

             5     
Chief Sponsor: Douglas C. Aagard

             6     
Senate Sponsor: Curtis S. Bramble

             7     
             8      LONG TITLE
             9      General Description:
             10          This bill modifies provisions of the Government Records Access and Management Act
             11      related to protected litigation records.
             12      Highlighted Provisions:
             13          This bill:
             14          .    clarifies that records be may classified as protected if they are prepared in
             15      anticipation of litigation;
             16          .    clarifies that work product records may be classified as protected if the record
             17      involves anticipated or pending litigation;
             18          .    provides that records concerning a governmental entity's strategy may be classified
             19      as protected if the record is prepared for anticipated litigation, rather than only for
             20      pending litigation;
             21          .    prohibits a governmental entity's chief administrative officer, the records
             22      committee, and a court from releasing certain protected records via means of a
             23      balancing test; and
             24          .    makes technical amendments.
             25      Monies Appropriated in this Bill:
             26          None
             27      Other Special Clauses:


             28          This bill provides an immediate effective date.
             29      Utah Code Sections Affected:
             30      AMENDS:
             31          63G-2-305, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2008, Chapters 3, 87, 95, 101, 111, 161,
             32      196, 248, 352 and renumbered and amended by Laws of Utah 2008, Chapter 382
             33          63G-2-401, as renumbered and amended by Laws of Utah 2008, Chapter 382
             34          63G-2-403, as renumbered and amended by Laws of Utah 2008, Chapter 382
             35          63G-2-404, as renumbered and amended by Laws of Utah 2008, Chapter 382
             36      ENACTS:
             37          63G-2-406, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             38     
             39      Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
             40          Section 1. Section 63G-2-305 is amended to read:
             41           63G-2-305. Protected records.
             42          The following records are protected if properly classified by a governmental entity:
             43          (1) trade secrets as defined in Section 13-24-2 if the person submitting the trade secret
             44      has provided the governmental entity with the information specified in Section 63G-2-309 ;
             45          (2) commercial information or nonindividual financial information obtained from a
             46      person if:
             47          (a) disclosure of the information could reasonably be expected to result in unfair
             48      competitive injury to the person submitting the information or would impair the ability of the
             49      governmental entity to obtain necessary information in the future;
             50          (b) the person submitting the information has a greater interest in prohibiting access
             51      than the public in obtaining access; and
             52          (c) the person submitting the information has provided the governmental entity with
             53      the information specified in Section 63G-2-309 ;
             54          (3) commercial or financial information acquired or prepared by a governmental entity
             55      to the extent that disclosure would lead to financial speculations in currencies, securities, or
             56      commodities that will interfere with a planned transaction by the governmental entity or cause
             57      substantial financial injury to the governmental entity or state economy;
             58          (4) records the disclosure of which could cause commercial injury to, or confer a


             59      competitive advantage upon a potential or actual competitor of, a commercial project entity as
             60      defined in Subsection 11-13-103 (4);
             61          (5) test questions and answers to be used in future license, certification, registration,
             62      employment, or academic examinations;
             63          (6) records the disclosure of which would impair governmental procurement
             64      proceedings or give an unfair advantage to any person proposing to enter into a contract or
             65      agreement with a governmental entity, except, subject to Subsection (1) and (2), that this
             66      Subsection (6) does not restrict the right of a person to have access to, once the contract or
             67      grant has been awarded, a bid, proposal, or application submitted to or by a governmental
             68      entity in response to:
             69          (a) a request for bids;
             70          (b) a request for proposals;
             71          (c) a grant; or
             72          (d) other similar document;
             73          (7) records that would identify real property or the appraisal or estimated value of real
             74      or personal property, including intellectual property, under consideration for public acquisition
             75      before any rights to the property are acquired unless:
             76          (a) public interest in obtaining access to the information outweighs the governmental
             77      entity's need to acquire the property on the best terms possible;
             78          (b) the information has already been disclosed to persons not employed by or under a
             79      duty of confidentiality to the entity;
             80          (c) in the case of records that would identify property, potential sellers of the described
             81      property have already learned of the governmental entity's plans to acquire the property;
             82          (d) in the case of records that would identify the appraisal or estimated value of
             83      property, the potential sellers have already learned of the governmental entity's estimated value
             84      of the property; or
             85          (e) the property under consideration for public acquisition is a single family residence
             86      and the governmental entity seeking to acquire the property has initiated negotiations to acquire
             87      the property as required under Section 78B-6-505 ;
             88          (8) records prepared in contemplation of sale, exchange, lease, rental, or other
             89      compensated transaction of real or personal property including intellectual property, which, if


             90      disclosed prior to completion of the transaction, would reveal the appraisal or estimated value
             91      of the subject property, unless:
             92          (a) the public interest in access outweighs the interests in restricting access, including
             93      the governmental entity's interest in maximizing the financial benefit of the transaction; or
             94          (b) when prepared by or on behalf of a governmental entity, appraisals or estimates of
             95      the value of the subject property have already been disclosed to persons not employed by or
             96      under a duty of confidentiality to the entity;
             97          (9) records created or maintained for civil, criminal, or administrative enforcement
             98      purposes or audit purposes, or for discipline, licensing, certification, or registration purposes, if
             99      release of the records:
             100          (a) reasonably could be expected to interfere with investigations undertaken for
             101      enforcement, discipline, licensing, certification, or registration purposes;
             102          (b) reasonably could be expected to interfere with audits, disciplinary, or enforcement
             103      proceedings;
             104          (c) would create a danger of depriving a person of a right to a fair trial or impartial
             105      hearing;
             106          (d) reasonably could be expected to disclose the identity of a source who is not
             107      generally known outside of government and, in the case of a record compiled in the course of
             108      an investigation, disclose information furnished by a source not generally known outside of
             109      government if disclosure would compromise the source; or
             110          (e) reasonably could be expected to disclose investigative or audit techniques,
             111      procedures, policies, or orders not generally known outside of government if disclosure would
             112      interfere with enforcement or audit efforts;
             113          (10) records the disclosure of which would jeopardize the life or safety of an
             114      individual;
             115          (11) records the disclosure of which would jeopardize the security of governmental
             116      property, governmental programs, or governmental recordkeeping systems from damage, theft,
             117      or other appropriation or use contrary to law or public policy;
             118          (12) records that, if disclosed, would jeopardize the security or safety of a correctional
             119      facility, or records relating to incarceration, treatment, probation, or parole, that would interfere
             120      with the control and supervision of an offender's incarceration, treatment, probation, or parole;


             121          (13) records that, if disclosed, would reveal recommendations made to the Board of
             122      Pardons and Parole by an employee of or contractor for the Department of Corrections, the
             123      Board of Pardons and Parole, or the Department of Human Services that are based on the
             124      employee's or contractor's supervision, diagnosis, or treatment of any person within the board's
             125      jurisdiction;
             126          (14) records and audit workpapers that identify audit, collection, and operational
             127      procedures and methods used by the State Tax Commission, if disclosure would interfere with
             128      audits or collections;
             129          (15) records of a governmental audit agency relating to an ongoing or planned audit
             130      until the final audit is released;
             131          (16) records prepared by or on behalf of a governmental entity [solely] in anticipation
             132      of litigation that are not available under the rules of discovery;
             133          (17) records disclosing an attorney's work product, including the mental impressions or
             134      legal theories of an attorney or other representative of a governmental entity [concerning]
             135      involving anticipated or pending litigation;
             136          (18) records of communications between a governmental entity and an attorney
             137      representing, retained, or employed by the governmental entity if the communications would be
             138      privileged as provided in Section 78B-1-137 ;
             139          (19) (a) (i) personal files of a state legislator, including personal correspondence to or
             140      from a member of the Legislature; and
             141          (ii) notwithstanding Subsection (19)(a)(i), correspondence that gives notice of
             142      legislative action or policy may not be classified as protected under this section; and
             143          (b) (i) an internal communication that is part of the deliberative process in connection
             144      with the preparation of legislation between:
             145          (A) members of a legislative body;
             146          (B) a member of a legislative body and a member of the legislative body's staff; or
             147          (C) members of a legislative body's staff; and
             148          (ii) notwithstanding Subsection (19)(b)(i), a communication that gives notice of
             149      legislative action or policy may not be classified as protected under this section;
             150          (20) (a) records in the custody or control of the Office of Legislative Research and
             151      General Counsel, that, if disclosed, would reveal a particular legislator's contemplated


             152      legislation or contemplated course of action before the legislator has elected to support the
             153      legislation or course of action, or made the legislation or course of action public; and
             154          (b) notwithstanding Subsection (20)(a), the form to request legislation submitted to the
             155      Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel is a public document unless a legislator
             156      asks that the records requesting the legislation be maintained as protected records until such
             157      time as the legislator elects to make the legislation or course of action public;
             158          (21) research requests from legislators to the Office of Legislative Research and
             159      General Counsel or the Office of the Legislative Fiscal Analyst and research findings prepared
             160      in response to these requests;
             161          (22) drafts, unless otherwise classified as public;
             162          (23) records concerning a governmental entity's strategy about:
             163          (a) collective bargaining; or
             164          (b) anticipated or pending litigation;
             165          (24) records of investigations of loss occurrences and analyses of loss occurrences that
             166      may be covered by the Risk Management Fund, the Employers' Reinsurance Fund, the
             167      Uninsured Employers' Fund, or similar divisions in other governmental entities;
             168          (25) records, other than personnel evaluations, that contain a personal recommendation
             169      concerning an individual if disclosure would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
             170      personal privacy, or disclosure is not in the public interest;
             171          (26) records that reveal the location of historic, prehistoric, paleontological, or
             172      biological resources that if known would jeopardize the security of those resources or of
             173      valuable historic, scientific, educational, or cultural information;
             174          (27) records of independent state agencies if the disclosure of the records would
             175      conflict with the fiduciary obligations of the agency;
             176          (28) records of an institution within the state system of higher education defined in
             177      Section 53B-1-102 regarding tenure evaluations, appointments, applications for admissions,
             178      retention decisions, and promotions, which could be properly discussed in a meeting closed in
             179      accordance with Title 52, Chapter 4, Open and Public Meetings Act, provided that records of
             180      the final decisions about tenure, appointments, retention, promotions, or those students
             181      admitted, may not be classified as protected under this section;
             182          (29) records of the governor's office, including budget recommendations, legislative


             183      proposals, and policy statements, that if disclosed would reveal the governor's contemplated
             184      policies or contemplated courses of action before the governor has implemented or rejected
             185      those policies or courses of action or made them public;
             186          (30) records of the Office of the Legislative Fiscal Analyst relating to budget analysis,
             187      revenue estimates, and fiscal notes of proposed legislation before issuance of the final
             188      recommendations in these areas;
             189          (31) records provided by the United States or by a government entity outside the state
             190      that are given to the governmental entity with a requirement that they be managed as protected
             191      records if the providing entity certifies that the record would not be subject to public disclosure
             192      if retained by it;
             193          (32) transcripts, minutes, or reports of the closed portion of a meeting of a public body
             194      except as provided in Section 52-4-206 ;
             195          (33) records that would reveal the contents of settlement negotiations but not including
             196      final settlements or empirical data to the extent that they are not otherwise exempt from
             197      disclosure;
             198          (34) memoranda prepared by staff and used in the decision-making process by an
             199      administrative law judge, a member of the Board of Pardons and Parole, or a member of any
             200      other body charged by law with performing a quasi-judicial function;
             201          (35) records that would reveal negotiations regarding assistance or incentives offered
             202      by or requested from a governmental entity for the purpose of encouraging a person to expand
             203      or locate a business in Utah, but only if disclosure would result in actual economic harm to the
             204      person or place the governmental entity at a competitive disadvantage, but this section may not
             205      be used to restrict access to a record evidencing a final contract;
             206          (36) materials to which access must be limited for purposes of securing or maintaining
             207      the governmental entity's proprietary protection of intellectual property rights including patents,
             208      copyrights, and trade secrets;
             209          (37) the name of a donor or a prospective donor to a governmental entity, including an
             210      institution within the state system of higher education defined in Section 53B-1-102 , and other
             211      information concerning the donation that could reasonably be expected to reveal the identity of
             212      the donor, provided that:
             213          (a) the donor requests anonymity in writing;


             214          (b) any terms, conditions, restrictions, or privileges relating to the donation may not be
             215      classified protected by the governmental entity under this Subsection (37); and
             216          (c) except for an institution within the state system of higher education defined in
             217      Section 53B-1-102 , the governmental unit to which the donation is made is primarily engaged
             218      in educational, charitable, or artistic endeavors, and has no regulatory or legislative authority
             219      over the donor, a member of the donor's immediate family, or any entity owned or controlled
             220      by the donor or the donor's immediate family;
             221          (38) accident reports, except as provided in Sections 41-6a-404 , 41-12a-202 , and
             222      73-18-13 ;
             223          (39) a notification of workers' compensation insurance coverage described in Section
             224      34A-2-205 ;
             225          (40) (a) the following records of an institution within the state system of higher
             226      education defined in Section 53B-1-102 , which have been developed, discovered, disclosed to,
             227      or received by or on behalf of faculty, staff, employees, or students of the institution:
             228          (i) unpublished lecture notes;
             229          (ii) unpublished notes, data, and information:
             230          (A) relating to research; and
             231          (B) of:
             232          (I) the institution within the state system of higher education defined in Section
             233      53B-1-102 ; or
             234          (II) a sponsor of sponsored research;
             235          (iii) unpublished manuscripts;
             236          (iv) creative works in process;
             237          (v) scholarly correspondence; and
             238          (vi) confidential information contained in research proposals;
             239          (b) Subsection (40)(a) may not be construed to prohibit disclosure of public
             240      information required pursuant to Subsection 53B-16-302 (2)(a) or (b); and
             241          (c) Subsection (40)(a) may not be construed to affect the ownership of a record;
             242          (41) (a) records in the custody or control of the Office of Legislative Auditor General
             243      that would reveal the name of a particular legislator who requests a legislative audit prior to the
             244      date that audit is completed and made public; and


             245          (b) notwithstanding Subsection (41)(a), a request for a legislative audit submitted to the
             246      Office of the Legislative Auditor General is a public document unless the legislator asks that
             247      the records in the custody or control of the Office of Legislative Auditor General that would
             248      reveal the name of a particular legislator who requests a legislative audit be maintained as
             249      protected records until the audit is completed and made public;
             250          (42) records that provide detail as to the location of an explosive, including a map or
             251      other document that indicates the location of:
             252          (a) a production facility; or
             253          (b) a magazine;
             254          (43) information:
             255          (a) contained in the statewide database of the Division of Aging and Adult Services
             256      created by Section 62A-3-311.1 ; or
             257          (b) received or maintained in relation to the Identity Theft Reporting Information
             258      System (IRIS) established under Section 67-5-22 ;
             259          (44) information contained in the Management Information System and Licensing
             260      Information System described in Title 62A, Chapter 4a, Child and Family Services;
             261          (45) information regarding National Guard operations or activities in support of the
             262      National Guard's federal mission;
             263          (46) records provided by any pawn or secondhand business to a law enforcement
             264      agency or to the central database in compliance with Title 13, Chapter 32a, Pawnshop and
             265      Secondhand Merchandise Transaction Information Act;
             266          (47) information regarding food security, risk, and vulnerability assessments performed
             267      by the Department of Agriculture and Food;
             268          (48) except to the extent that the record is exempt from this chapter pursuant to Section
             269      63G-2-106 , records related to an emergency plan or program prepared or maintained by the
             270      Division of Homeland Security the disclosure of which would jeopardize:
             271          (a) the safety of the general public; or
             272          (b) the security of:
             273          (i) governmental property;
             274          (ii) governmental programs; or
             275          (iii) the property of a private person who provides the Division of Homeland Security


             276      information;
             277          (49) records of the Department of Agriculture and Food relating to the National
             278      Animal Identification System or any other program that provides for the identification, tracing,
             279      or control of livestock diseases, including any program established under Title 4, Chapter 24,
             280      Utah Livestock Brand and Anti-theft Act or Title 4, Chapter 31, Livestock Inspection and
             281      Quarantine;
             282          (50) as provided in Section 26-39-501 :
             283          (a) information or records held by the Department of Health related to a complaint
             284      regarding a child care program or residential child care which the department is unable to
             285      substantiate; and
             286          (b) information or records related to a complaint received by the Department of Health
             287      from an anonymous complainant regarding a child care program or residential child care;
             288          (51) unless otherwise classified as public under Section 63G-2-301 and except as
             289      provided under Section 41-1a-116 , an individual's home address, home telephone number, or
             290      personal mobile phone number, if:
             291          (a) the individual is required to provide the information in order to comply with a law,
             292      ordinance, rule, or order of a government entity; and
             293          (b) the subject of the record has a reasonable expectation that this information will be
             294      kept confidential due to:
             295          (i) the nature of the law, ordinance, rule, or order; and
             296          (ii) the individual complying with the law, ordinance, rule, or order;
             297          (52) the name, home address, work addresses, and telephone numbers of an individual
             298      that is engaged in, or that provides goods or services for, medical or scientific research that is:
             299          (a) conducted within the state system of higher education, as defined in Section
             300      53B-1-102 ; and
             301          (b) conducted using animals;
             302          (53) an initial proposal under Title 63M, Chapter 1, Part 26, Government Procurement
             303      Private Proposal Program, to the extent not made public by rules made under that chapter;
             304          (54) information collected and a report prepared by the Judicial Performance
             305      Evaluation Commission concerning a judge, unless Section 20A-7-702 or Title 78A, Chapter
             306      12, Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission Act, requires disclosure of, or makes public,


             307      the information or report;
             308          (55) (a) records of the Utah Educational Savings Plan Trust created under Section
             309      53B-8a-103 if the disclosure of the records would conflict with its fiduciary obligations;
             310          (b) proposals submitted to the Utah Educational Savings Plan Trust; and
             311          (c) contracts entered into by the Utah Educational Savings Plan Trust and the related
             312      payments; and
             313          (56) records contained in the Management Information System created in Section
             314      62A-4a-1003 .
             315          Section 2. Section 63G-2-401 is amended to read:
             316           63G-2-401. Appeal to head of governmental entity.
             317          (1) (a) Any person aggrieved by a governmental entity's access determination under
             318      this chapter, including a person not a party to the governmental entity's proceeding, may appeal
             319      the determination within 30 days to the chief administrative officer of the governmental entity
             320      by filing a notice of appeal.
             321          (b) If a governmental entity claims extraordinary circumstances and specifies the date
             322      when the records will be available under Subsection 63G-2-204 (3), and, if the requester
             323      believes the extraordinary circumstances do not exist or that the time specified is unreasonable,
             324      the requester may appeal the governmental entity's claim of extraordinary circumstances or date
             325      for compliance within 30 days after notification of a claim of extraordinary circumstances by
             326      the governmental entity, despite the lack of a "determination" or its equivalent under
             327      Subsection 63G-2-204 (7).
             328          (2) The notice of appeal shall contain the following information:
             329          (a) the petitioner's name, mailing address, and daytime telephone number; and
             330          (b) the relief sought.
             331          (3) The petitioner may file a short statement of facts, reasons, and legal authority in
             332      support of the appeal.
             333          (4) (a) If the appeal involves a record that is the subject of a business confidentiality
             334      claim under Section 63G-2-309 , the chief administrative officer shall:
             335          (i) send notice of the requester's appeal to the business confidentiality claimant within
             336      three business days after receiving notice, except that if notice under this section must be given
             337      to more than 35 persons, it shall be given as soon as reasonably possible; and


             338          (ii) send notice of the business confidentiality claim and the schedule for the chief
             339      administrative officer's determination to the requester within three business days after receiving
             340      notice of the requester's appeal.
             341          (b) The claimant shall have seven business days after notice is sent by the
             342      administrative officer to submit further support for the claim of business confidentiality.
             343          (5) (a) The chief administrative officer shall make a determination on the appeal within
             344      the following period of time:
             345          (i) within five business days after the chief administrative officer's receipt of the notice
             346      of appeal; or
             347          (ii) within twelve business days after the governmental entity sends the requester's
             348      notice of appeal to a person who submitted a claim of business confidentiality.
             349          (b) If the chief administrative officer fails to make a determination within the time
             350      specified in Subsection (5)(a), the failure shall be considered the equivalent of an order denying
             351      the appeal.
             352          (c) The provisions of this section notwithstanding, the parties participating in the
             353      proceeding may, by agreement, extend the time periods specified in this section.
             354          (6) [The] Except as provided in Section 63G-2-406 , the chief administrative officer
             355      may, upon consideration and weighing of the various interests and public policies pertinent to
             356      the classification and disclosure or nondisclosure, order the disclosure of information properly
             357      classified as private under Subsection 63G-2-302 (2) or protected under Section 63G-2-305 if
             358      the interests favoring access outweigh the interests favoring restriction of access.
             359          (7) The governmental entity shall send written notice of the determination of the chief
             360      administrative officer to all participants. If the chief administrative officer affirms the denial in
             361      whole or in part, the denial shall include a statement that the requester has the right to appeal
             362      the denial to either the records committee or district court, the time limits for filing an appeal,
             363      and the name and business address of the executive secretary of the records committee.
             364          (8) A person aggrieved by a governmental entity's classification or designation
             365      determination under this chapter, but who is not requesting access to the records, may appeal
             366      that determination using the procedures provided in this section. If a nonrequester is the only
             367      appellant, the procedures provided in this section shall apply, except that the determination on
             368      the appeal shall be made within 30 days after receiving the notice of appeal.


             369          (9) The duties of the chief administrative officer under this section may be delegated.
             370          Section 3. Section 63G-2-403 is amended to read:
             371           63G-2-403. Appeals to the records committee.
             372          (1) A petitioner, including an aggrieved person who did not participate in the appeal to
             373      the governmental entity's chief administrative officer, may appeal to the records committee by
             374      filing a notice of appeal with the executive secretary no later than:
             375          (a) 30 days after the chief administrative officer of the governmental entity has granted
             376      or denied the record request in whole or in part, including a denial under Subsection
             377      63G-2-204 (7);
             378          (b) 45 days after the original request for a record if:
             379          (i) the circumstances described in Subsection 63G-2-401 (1)(b) occur; and
             380          (ii) the chief administrative officer failed to make a determination under Section
             381      63G-2-401 .
             382          (2) The notice of appeal shall contain the following information:
             383          (a) the petitioner's name, mailing address, and daytime telephone number;
             384          (b) a copy of any denial of the record request; and
             385          (c) the relief sought.
             386          (3) The petitioner may file a short statement of facts, reasons, and legal authority in
             387      support of the appeal.
             388          (4) (a) Except as provided in Subsection (4)(b), no later than five business days after
             389      receiving a notice of appeal, the executive secretary of the records committee shall:
             390          (i) schedule a hearing for the records committee to discuss the appeal at the next
             391      regularly scheduled committee meeting falling at least 14 days after the date the notice of
             392      appeal is filed but no longer than 52 calendar days after the date the notice of appeal was filed
             393      except that the records committee may schedule an expedited hearing upon application of the
             394      petitioner and good cause shown;
             395          (ii) send a copy of the notice of hearing to the petitioner; and
             396          (iii) send a copy of the notice of appeal, supporting statement, and a notice of hearing
             397      to:
             398          (A) each member of the records committee;
             399          (B) the records officer and the chief administrative officer of the governmental entity


             400      from which the appeal originated;
             401          (C) any person who made a business confidentiality claim under Section 63G-2-309 for
             402      a record that is the subject of the appeal; and
             403          (D) all persons who participated in the proceedings before the governmental entity's
             404      chief administrative officer.
             405          (b) (i) The executive secretary of the records committee may decline to schedule a
             406      hearing if the record series that is the subject of the appeal has been found by the committee in
             407      a previous hearing involving the same government entity to be appropriately classified as
             408      private, controlled, or protected.
             409          (ii) (A) If the executive secretary of the records committee declines to schedule a
             410      hearing, the executive secretary of the records committee shall send a notice to the petitioner
             411      indicating that the request for hearing has been denied and the reason for the denial.
             412          (B) The committee shall make rules to implement this section as provided by Title
             413      63G, Chapter 3, Utah Administrative Rulemaking Act.
             414          (5) (a) A written statement of facts, reasons, and legal authority in support of the
             415      governmental entity's position must be submitted to the executive secretary of the records
             416      committee not later than five business days before the hearing.
             417          (b) The governmental entity shall send a copy of the written statement to the petitioner
             418      by first class mail, postage prepaid. The executive secretary shall forward a copy of the written
             419      statement to each member of the records committee.
             420          (6) (a) No later than ten business days after the notice of appeal is sent by the executive
             421      secretary, a person whose legal interests may be substantially affected by the proceeding may
             422      file a request for intervention before the records committee.
             423          (b) Any written statement of facts, reasons, and legal authority in support of the
             424      intervener's position shall be filed with the request for intervention.
             425          (c) The person seeking intervention shall provide copies of the statement described in
             426      Subsection (6)(b) to all parties to the proceedings before the records committee.
             427          (7) The records committee shall hold a hearing within the period of time described in
             428      Subsection (4).
             429          (8) At the hearing, the records committee shall allow the parties to testify, present
             430      evidence, and comment on the issues. The records committee may allow other interested


             431      persons to comment on the issues.
             432          (9) (a) The records committee may review the disputed records. However, if the
             433      committee is weighing the various interests under Subsection (11), the committee must review
             434      the disputed records. The review shall be in camera.
             435          (b) Members of the records committee may not disclose any information or record
             436      reviewed by the committee in camera unless the disclosure is otherwise authorized by this
             437      chapter.
             438          (10) (a) Discovery is prohibited, but the records committee may issue subpoenas or
             439      other orders to compel production of necessary evidence.
             440          (b) When the subject of a records committee subpoena disobeys or fails to comply with
             441      the subpoena, the records committee may file a motion for an order to compel obedience to the
             442      subpoena with the district court.
             443          (c) The records committee's review shall be de novo.
             444          (11) (a) No later than five business days after the hearing, the records committee shall
             445      issue a signed order either granting the petition in whole or in part or upholding the
             446      determination of the governmental entity in whole or in part.
             447          (b) [The] Except as provided in Section 63G-2-406 , the records committee may, upon
             448      consideration and weighing of the various interests and public policies pertinent to the
             449      classification and disclosure or nondisclosure, order the disclosure of information properly
             450      classified as private, controlled, or protected if the public interest favoring access outweighs the
             451      interest favoring restriction of access.
             452          (c) In making a determination under Subsection (11)(b), the records committee shall
             453      consider and, where appropriate, limit the requester's use and further disclosure of the record in
             454      order to protect:
             455          (i) privacy interests in the case of a private or controlled record;
             456          (ii) business confidentiality interests in the case of a record protected under Subsection
             457      63G-2-305 (1), (2), (40)(a)(ii), or (40)(a)(vi); and
             458          (iii) privacy interests or the public interest in the case of other protected records.
             459          (12) The order of the records committee shall include:
             460          (a) a statement of reasons for the decision, including citations to this chapter, court rule
             461      or order, another state statute, federal statute, or federal regulation that governs disclosure of


             462      the record, provided that the citations do not disclose private, controlled, or protected
             463      information;
             464          (b) a description of the record or portions of the record to which access was ordered or
             465      denied, provided that the description does not disclose private, controlled, or protected
             466      information or information exempt from disclosure under Subsection 63G-2-201 (3)(b);
             467          (c) a statement that any party to the proceeding before the records committee may
             468      appeal the records committee's decision to district court; and
             469          (d) a brief summary of the appeals process, the time limits for filing an appeal, and a
             470      notice that in order to protect its rights on appeal, the party may wish to seek advice from an
             471      attorney.
             472          (13) If the records committee fails to issue a decision within 57 calendar days of the
             473      filing of the notice of appeal, that failure shall be considered the equivalent of an order denying
             474      the appeal. The petitioner shall notify the records committee in writing if the petitioner
             475      considers the appeal denied.
             476          (14) (a) Unless a notice of intent to appeal is filed under Subsection (14)(b), each party
             477      to the proceeding shall comply with the order of the records committee.
             478          (b) If a party disagrees with the order of the records committee, that party may file a
             479      notice of intent to appeal the order of the records committee.
             480          (c) If the records committee orders the governmental entity to produce a record and no
             481      appeal is filed, or if, as a result of the appeal, the governmental entity is required to produce a
             482      record, the governmental entity shall:
             483          (i) produce the record; and
             484          (ii) file a notice of compliance with the records committee.
             485          (d) (i) If the governmental entity that is ordered to produce a record fails to file a notice
             486      of compliance or a notice of intent to appeal, the records committee may do either or both of
             487      the following:
             488          (A) impose a civil penalty of up to $500 for each day of continuing noncompliance; or
             489          (B) send written notice of the governmental entity's noncompliance to:
             490          (I) the governor for executive branch entities;
             491          (II) the Legislative Management Committee for legislative branch entities; and
             492          (III) the Judicial Council for judicial branch agencies entities.


             493          (ii) In imposing a civil penalty, the records committee shall consider the gravity and
             494      circumstances of the violation, including whether the failure to comply was due to neglect or
             495      was willful or intentional.
             496          Section 4. Section 63G-2-404 is amended to read:
             497           63G-2-404. Judicial review.
             498          (1) (a) Any party to a proceeding before the records committee may petition for judicial
             499      review by the district court of the records committee's order.
             500          (b) The petition shall be filed no later than 30 days after the date of the records
             501      committee's order.
             502          (c) The records committee is a necessary party to the petition for judicial review.
             503          (d) The executive secretary of the records committee shall be served with notice of the
             504      petition in accordance with the Utah Rules of Civil Procedure.
             505          (2) (a) A requester may petition for judicial review by the district court of a
             506      governmental entity's determination as specified in Subsection 63G-2-402 (1)(b).
             507          (b) The requester shall file a petition no later than:
             508          (i) 30 days after the governmental entity has responded to the records request by either
             509      providing the requested records or denying the request in whole or in part;
             510          (ii) 35 days after the original request if the governmental entity failed to respond to the
             511      request; or
             512          (iii) 45 days after the original request for records if:
             513          (A) the circumstances described in Subsection 63G-2-401 (1)(b) occur; and
             514          (B) the chief administrative officer failed to make a determination under Section
             515      63G-2-401 .
             516          (3) The petition for judicial review shall be a complaint governed by the Utah Rules of
             517      Civil Procedure and shall contain:
             518          (a) the petitioner's name and mailing address;
             519          (b) a copy of the records committee order from which the appeal is taken, if the
             520      petitioner brought a prior appeal to the records committee;
             521          (c) the name and mailing address of the governmental entity that issued the initial
             522      determination with a copy of that determination;
             523          (d) a request for relief specifying the type and extent of relief requested; and


             524          (e) a statement of the reasons why the petitioner is entitled to relief.
             525          (4) If the appeal is based on the denial of access to a protected record, the court shall
             526      allow the claimant of business confidentiality to provide to the court the reasons for the claim
             527      of business confidentiality.
             528          (5) All additional pleadings and proceedings in the district court are governed by the
             529      Utah Rules of Civil Procedure.
             530          (6) The district court may review the disputed records. The review shall be in camera.
             531          (7) The court shall:
             532          (a) make its decision de novo, but allow introduction of evidence presented to the
             533      records committee;
             534          (b) determine all questions of fact and law without a jury; and
             535          (c) decide the issue at the earliest practical opportunity.
             536          (8) (a) [The] Except as provided in Section 63G-2-406 , the court may, upon
             537      consideration and weighing of the various interests and public policies pertinent to the
             538      classification and disclosure or nondisclosure, order the disclosure of information properly
             539      classified as private, controlled, or protected if the interest favoring access outweighs the
             540      interest favoring restriction of access.
             541          (b) The court shall consider and, where appropriate, limit the requester's use and
             542      further disclosure of the record in order to protect privacy interests in the case of private or
             543      controlled records, business confidentiality interests in the case of records protected under
             544      Subsections 63G-2-305 (1) and (2), and privacy interests or the public interest in the case of
             545      other protected records.
             546          Section 5. Section 63G-2-406 is enacted to read:
             547          63G-2-406. Restrictions on release of certain enforcement and litigation records.
             548          The provisions of Subsections 63G-2-401 (6), 63G-2-403 (11)(b), and 63G-2-404 (8)(a)
             549      do not apply to records that are classified as protected under Subsection 63G-2-305 (9), (10),
             550      (16), (17), (18), (23), (24), or (33).
             551          Section 6. Effective date.
             552          If approved by two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, this bill takes effect
             553      upon approval by the governor, or the day following the constitutional time limit of Utah
             554      Constitution Article VII, Section 8, without the governor's signature, or in the case of a veto,


             555      the date of veto override.




Legislative Review Note
    as of 1-23-09 9:57 AM


Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel


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