Judiciary hears bill to change ‘citizen’ to ‘any person’ in right-to-know law

CONCORD — The House Judiciary Committee opened a hearing on House Bill 66 on Feb. 5, a bill that would replace the word “citizen” in New Hampshire’s right‑to‑know law (RSA 91‑A) with the broader term “any person” and add clarifications about electronic delivery and preliminary drafts.

Representative John Linn, the prime sponsor, said the change is meant to remove uncertainty about who may request public records and to confirm that requesters can ask for records in a preferred format. He told the committee that the bill “would permit any person to make a request for any information that is subject to the right to know law,” and that government bodies should provide records electronically when reasonably possible. Linn also said the bill explicitly lists “preliminary drafts circulated to a quorum or a majority of the public body” among records subject to disclosure to…