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Committee advances bill to charge some nonresidents for public‑records requests
Summary
House Bill 253 would keep 100 free pages and two free labor hours for Idaho residents but allow agencies to charge nonresidents for photocopies and labor and extend response time for nonresidents to 30 days (45 if a warrant is involved); the committee voted to send the bill to the floor with a due‑pass recommendation.
Senator Bob Furnas (District 31) presented House Bill 253 to the House State Affairs Committee. Furnas said the bill does not deny nonresidents access to Idaho public records but would alter fees and response times for nonresident requests to reduce burden on agency staff.
Under the bill as described, Idaho residents would continue to receive 100 pages and two hours of labor free for public‑records requests; nonresidents could be charged per page and per minute of labor, with charges limited to actual agency cost. Furnas said the bill would extend the response time for nonresident requests from three days to 30 days (or 45 days if a warrant is involved). Furnas said the change responds to a perceived high volume of out‑of‑state media requests and is intended for cost recovery rather than a profit center.
Representative Mickelson moved that HB 253 be sent to the floor with a due‑pass recommendation; the committee carried the motion. One witness, Bob Narabout, testified in support and described the administrative burden of large out‑of‑state requests during an animal‑health emergency; the committee heard no other in‑person opposition during the hearing.
