S.R. No. 97 Summary

• Requests the Office of Information Practices (OIP) to conduct a three-year modified appeal resolution pilot project targeting public appeals under the Uniform Information Practices Act and Sunshine Law that lack novel legal issues or complex facts.

• Directs OIP to issue preliminary inclinations within two weeks for straightforward cases, allowing parties to decline and request formal opinions if desired.

• Requires parties requesting formal opinions to submit additional documentation, written facts, or responses within 30 days; if no materially relevant new information is provided, the preliminary inclination becomes an abbreviated final formal resolution.

• Preserves parties' rights to appeal OIP decisions to court under existing law.

• Requires OIP to report findings to the Legislature no later than 20 days before the Regular Session of 2021, including data on cases resolved informally, formally, and by preliminary inclination, plus impact on overall caseload.