SB 1135 Summary

• Amends Arizona Revised Statutes section 39-121.01 to establish a 10 business day deadline for public bodies to respond to public records requests.

• Requires custodians to respond to records requests in at least one of four specified ways: providing the requested record, notifying the requester that the request is under review with an estimated completion date, denying the request with detailed explanation, or directing the requester to another public body that maintains the record.

• Mandates that custodians provide an index of withheld records or categories of records with reasons for withholding, unless the information is expressly privileged or confidential by statute or court order.

• Specifies that access to public records is deemed denied if a custodian fails to respond within 10 business days or fails to provide the required index of withheld records.

• Updates statutory language to use modern grammar and terminology (e.g., "chairperson" instead of "chairman," "who is" instead of "which").