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S.B. 94 Enrolled

             1     

GOVERNMENT RECORDS AMENDMENTS

             2     
2013 GENERAL SESSION

             3     
STATE OF UTAH

             4     
Chief Sponsor: Curtis S. Bramble

             5     
House Sponsor: Daniel McCay

             6     
             7      LONG TITLE
             8      General Description:
             9          This bill modifies provisions of the Government Records Access and Management Act.
             10      Highlighted Provisions:
             11          This bill:
             12          .    provides for the creation of a publicly accessible repository, on the Legislature's
             13      website, of email that legislators transfer to the repository;
             14          .    provides for circumstances under which an email may be removed from the
             15      repository;
             16          .    specifies that failure to transfer an email to the repository does not affect its
             17      classification;
             18          .    modifies the membership of the State Records Committee;
             19          .    makes initiative and referendum packets submitted to county clerks public records;
             20      and
             21          .    makes technical changes.
             22      Money Appropriated in this Bill:
             23          None
             24      Other Special Clauses:
             25          None
             26      Utah Code Sections Affected:
             27      AMENDS:
             28          20A-7-206, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2011, Chapter 17
             29          63G-2-301, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2012, Chapter 377


             30          63G-2-501, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2010, Chapter 286
             31      ENACTS:
             32          63G-2-208, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             33     
             34      Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
             35          Section 1. Section 20A-7-206 is amended to read:
             36           20A-7-206. Submitting the initiative petition -- Certification of signatures by the
             37      county clerks -- Transfer to lieutenant governor.
             38          (1) (a) In order to qualify an initiative petition for placement on the regular general
             39      election ballot, the sponsors shall deliver each signed and verified initiative packet to the
             40      county clerk of the county in which the packet was circulated on or before the sooner of:
             41          (i) 316 days after the day on which the application is filed; or
             42          (ii) the April 15 immediately before the next regular general election immediately after
             43      the application is filed under Section 20A-7-202 .
             44          (b) A sponsor may not submit an initiative packet after the deadline established in this
             45      Subsection (1).
             46          (2) (a) No later than May 1 before the regular general election, the county clerk shall:
             47          (i) check the names of all persons completing the verification for the initiative packet
             48      to determine whether those persons are residents of Utah and are at least 18 years old; and
             49          (ii) submit the name of each of those persons who is not a Utah resident or who is not
             50      at least 18 years old to the attorney general and county attorney.
             51          (b) The county clerk may not certify a signature under Subsection (3) on an initiative
             52      packet that is not verified in accordance with Section 20A-7-205 .
             53          (3) No later than May 15 before the regular general election, the county clerk shall:
             54          (a) determine whether each signer is a registered voter according to the requirements of
             55      Section 20A-7-206.3 ;
             56          (b) certify on the petition whether each name is that of a registered voter; and
             57          (c) deliver all of the verified initiative packets to the lieutenant governor.


             58          (4) Upon receipt of an initiative packet under Subsection (3) and any statement
             59      submitted under Subsection 20A-7-205 (3), the lieutenant governor shall remove from the
             60      initiative petition a voter's signature if the voter has requested the removal in accordance with
             61      Subsection 20A-7-205 (3).
             62          (5) In order to qualify an initiative petition for submission to the Legislature, the
             63      sponsors shall deliver each signed and verified initiative packet to the county clerk of the
             64      county in which the packet was circulated by the November 15 before the next annual general
             65      session of the Legislature immediately after the application is filed under Section 20A-7-202 .
             66          (6) (a) No later than December 1 before the annual general session of the Legislature,
             67      the county clerk shall:
             68          (i) check the names of all persons completing the verification for the initiative packet
             69      to determine whether those persons are Utah residents and are at least 18 years old; and
             70          (ii) submit the name of each of those persons who is not a Utah resident or who is not
             71      at least 18 years old to the attorney general and county attorney.
             72          (b) The county clerk may not certify a signature under Subsection (7) on an initiative
             73      packet that is not verified in accordance with Section 20A-7-205 .
             74          (7) No later than December 15 before the annual general session of the Legislature, the
             75      county clerk shall:
             76          (a) determine whether each signer is a registered voter according to the requirements of
             77      Section 20A-7-206.3 ;
             78          (b) certify on the petition whether each name is that of a registered voter; and
             79          (c) deliver all of the verified initiative packets to the lieutenant governor.
             80          [(8) Initiative packets are public once they are delivered to the county clerks.]
             81          [(9)] (8) The sponsor or their representatives may not retrieve initiative packets from
             82      the county clerks once they have submitted them.
             83          Section 2. Section 63G-2-208 is enacted to read:
             84          63G-2-208. Public repository of legislative email.
             85          (1) As used in this section, "repository" means the repository of email described in


             86      Subsection (2).
             87          (2) (a) On or before January 1, 2014, the Legislature shall post on its website a publicly
             88      accessible repository containing email that legislators transfer to it as provided in this section.
             89          (b) The repository shall be searchable by sender, receiver, and subject.
             90          (3) A legislator may transfer to the repository an email that the legislator sent or
             91      received.
             92          (4) An email in the repository may be removed from the repository if:
             93          (a) the email was accidentally transferred to the repository;
             94          (b) it is determined that the email is not a record or that the email is a private,
             95      protected, or controlled record;
             96          (c) the email is deleted pursuant to the Legislature's record retention policy; or
             97          (d) for an email that is not removed from the repository earlier under Subsection (4)(a),
             98      (b), or (c), at least two years have passed after the day the legislator first sent or received the
             99      email.
             100          (5) A legislator's failure to transfer an email to the repository does not alone mean that
             101      the email is a private, protected, or controlled record.
             102          Section 3. Section 63G-2-301 is amended to read:
             103           63G-2-301. Public records.
             104          (1) As used in this section:
             105          (a) "Business address" means a single address of a governmental agency designated for
             106      the public to contact an employee or officer of the governmental agency.
             107          (b) "Business email address" means a single email address of a governmental agency
             108      designated for the public to contact an employee or officer of the governmental agency.
             109          (c) "Business telephone number" means a single telephone number of a governmental
             110      agency designated for the public to contact an employee or officer of the governmental agency.
             111          (2) The following records are public except to the extent they contain information
             112      expressly permitted to be treated confidentially under the provisions of Subsections
             113      63G-2-201 (3)(b) and (6)(a):


             114          (a) laws;
             115          (b) the name, gender, gross compensation, job title, job description, business address,
             116      business email address, business telephone number, number of hours worked per pay period,
             117      dates of employment, and relevant education, previous employment, and similar job
             118      qualifications of a current or former employee or officer of the governmental entity, excluding:
             119          (i) undercover law enforcement personnel; and
             120          (ii) investigative personnel if disclosure could reasonably be expected to impair the
             121      effectiveness of investigations or endanger any individual's safety;
             122          (c) final opinions, including concurring and dissenting opinions, and orders that are
             123      made by a governmental entity in an administrative, adjudicative, or judicial proceeding except
             124      that if the proceedings were properly closed to the public, the opinion and order may be
             125      withheld to the extent that they contain information that is private, controlled, or protected;
             126          (d) final interpretations of statutes or rules by a governmental entity unless classified as
             127      protected as provided in Subsection 63G-2-305 (16) or (17);
             128          (e) information contained in or compiled from a transcript, minutes, or report of the
             129      open portions of a meeting of a governmental entity as provided by Title 52, Chapter 4, Open
             130      and Public Meetings Act, including the records of all votes of each member of the
             131      governmental entity;
             132          (f) judicial records unless a court orders the records to be restricted under the rules of
             133      civil or criminal procedure or unless the records are private under this chapter;
             134          (g) unless otherwise classified as private under Section 63G-2-303 , records or parts of
             135      records filed with or maintained by county recorders, clerks, treasurers, surveyors, zoning
             136      commissions, the Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands, the School and Institutional Trust
             137      Lands Administration, the Division of Oil, Gas, and Mining, the Division of Water Rights, or
             138      other governmental entities that give public notice of:
             139          (i) titles or encumbrances to real property;
             140          (ii) restrictions on the use of real property;
             141          (iii) the capacity of persons to take or convey title to real property; or


             142          (iv) tax status for real and personal property;
             143          (h) records of the Department of Commerce that evidence incorporations, mergers,
             144      name changes, and uniform commercial code filings;
             145          (i) data on individuals that would otherwise be private under this chapter if the
             146      individual who is the subject of the record has given the governmental entity written
             147      permission to make the records available to the public;
             148          (j) documentation of the compensation that a governmental entity pays to a contractor
             149      or private provider;
             150          (k) summary data;
             151          (l) voter registration records, including an individual's voting history, except for those
             152      parts of the record that are classified as private in Subsection 63G-2-302 (1)(i);
             153          (m) for an elected official, as defined in Section 11-47-102 , a telephone number, if
             154      available, and email address, if available, where that elected official may be reached as required
             155      in Title 11, Chapter 47, Access to Elected Officials;
             156          (n) for a school community council member, a telephone number, if available, and
             157      email address, if available, where that elected official may be reached directly as required in
             158      Section 53A-1a-108 ; [and]
             159          (o) annual audited financial statements of the Utah Educational Savings Plan described
             160      in Section 53B-8a-111 [.]; and
             161          (p) an initiative packet, as defined in Section 20A-7-101 , and a referendum packet, as
             162      defined in Section 20A-7-101 , after the packet is submitted to a county clerk.
             163          (3) The following records are normally public, but to the extent that a record is
             164      expressly exempt from disclosure, access may be restricted under Subsection 63G-2-201 (3)(b),
             165      Section 63G-2-302 , 63G-2-304 , or 63G-2-305 :
             166          (a) administrative staff manuals, instructions to staff, and statements of policy;
             167          (b) records documenting a contractor's or private provider's compliance with the terms
             168      of a contract with a governmental entity;
             169          (c) records documenting the services provided by a contractor or a private provider to


             170      the extent the records would be public if prepared by the governmental entity;
             171          (d) contracts entered into by a governmental entity;
             172          (e) any account, voucher, or contract that deals with the receipt or expenditure of funds
             173      by a governmental entity;
             174          (f) records relating to government assistance or incentives publicly disclosed,
             175      contracted for, or given by a governmental entity, encouraging a person to expand or relocate a
             176      business in Utah, except as provided in Subsection 63G-2-305 (34);
             177          (g) chronological logs and initial contact reports;
             178          (h) correspondence by and with a governmental entity in which the governmental entity
             179      determines or states an opinion upon the rights of the state, a political subdivision, the public,
             180      or any person;
             181          (i) empirical data contained in drafts if:
             182          (i) the empirical data is not reasonably available to the requester elsewhere in similar
             183      form; and
             184          (ii) the governmental entity is given a reasonable opportunity to correct any errors or
             185      make nonsubstantive changes before release;
             186          (j) drafts that are circulated to anyone other than:
             187          (i) a governmental entity;
             188          (ii) a political subdivision;
             189          (iii) a federal agency if the governmental entity and the federal agency are jointly
             190      responsible for implementation of a program or project that has been legislatively approved;
             191          (iv) a government-managed corporation; or
             192          (v) a contractor or private provider;
             193          (k) drafts that have never been finalized but were relied upon by the governmental
             194      entity in carrying out action or policy;
             195          (l) original data in a computer program if the governmental entity chooses not to
             196      disclose the program;
             197          (m) arrest warrants after issuance, except that, for good cause, a court may order


             198      restricted access to arrest warrants prior to service;
             199          (n) search warrants after execution and filing of the return, except that a court, for good
             200      cause, may order restricted access to search warrants prior to trial;
             201          (o) records that would disclose information relating to formal charges or disciplinary
             202      actions against a past or present governmental entity employee if:
             203          (i) the disciplinary action has been completed and all time periods for administrative
             204      appeal have expired; and
             205          (ii) the charges on which the disciplinary action was based were sustained;
             206          (p) records maintained by the Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands, the School
             207      and Institutional Trust Lands Administration, or the Division of Oil, Gas, and Mining that
             208      evidence mineral production on government lands;
             209          (q) final audit reports;
             210          (r) occupational and professional licenses;
             211          (s) business licenses; and
             212          (t) a notice of violation, a notice of agency action under Section 63G-4-201 , or similar
             213      records used to initiate proceedings for discipline or sanctions against persons regulated by a
             214      governmental entity, but not including records that initiate employee discipline.
             215          (4) The list of public records in this section is not exhaustive and should not be used to
             216      limit access to records.
             217          Section 4. Section 63G-2-501 is amended to read:
             218           63G-2-501. State Records Committee created -- Membership -- Terms --
             219      Vacancies -- Expenses.
             220          (1) There is created the State Records Committee within the Department of
             221      Administrative Services to consist of the following seven individuals:
             222          (a) an individual in the private sector whose profession requires [him] the individual to
             223      create or manage records that if created by a governmental entity would be private or
             224      controlled;
             225          [(b) the state auditor or the auditor's designee;]


             226          [(c)] (b) the director of the Division of State History or the director's designee;
             227          [(d)] (c) the governor or the governor's designee;
             228          [(e) one] (d) two citizen [member] members;
             229          [(f)] (e) one elected official representing political subdivisions; and
             230          [(g)] (f) one individual representing the news media.
             231          (2) The members specified in Subsections (1)(a), (d), (e), and (f)[, and (g)] shall be
             232      appointed by the governor with the consent of the Senate.
             233          (3) (a) Except as required by Subsection (3)(b), as terms of current committee members
             234      expire, the governor shall appoint each new member or reappointed member to a four-year
             235      term.
             236          (b) Notwithstanding the requirements of Subsection (3)(a), the governor shall, at the
             237      time of appointment or reappointment, adjust the length of terms to ensure that the terms of
             238      committee members are staggered so that approximately half of the committee is appointed
             239      every two years.
             240          (c) Each appointed member is eligible for reappointment for one additional term.
             241          (4) When a vacancy occurs in the membership for any reason, the replacement shall be
             242      appointed for the unexpired term.
             243          (5) A member may not receive compensation or benefits for the member's service, but
             244      may receive per diem and travel expenses in accordance with:
             245          (a) Section 63A-3-106 ;
             246          (b) Section 63A-3-107 ; and
             247          (c) rules made by the Division of Finance pursuant to Sections 63A-3-106 and
             248      63A-3-107 .


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