HB 2163 Summary

• Establishes the Public Access Counselor Unit within the Office of the Attorney General to review denials of public records requests filed within 30 calendar days of denial.

• Persons whose records requests were denied, treated as commercial requests, or not returned promptly may file for review, but persons making commercial purpose requests are prohibited from filing.

• Public body must provide written response to the Public Access Counselor within 7 business days; Attorney General must issue binding advisement within 60 calendar days and notify the requester of completion.

• Attorney General may issue advisory opinions to public bodies on open records compliance; public bodies relying in good faith on such advice are immune from penalties under open records law.

• Adds new duty for Attorney General to investigate and prosecute violations of the Oklahoma Open Records Act and Oklahoma Open Meetings Act, with authority to defer matters to district attorneys.