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House passes Government Records Access and Management Act to standardize public records across Utah
Summary
The House unanimously approved substitute House Bill 246 to create a statewide, consistent framework for public records access, with an effective date of April 1, 1992; sponsors said the law will make request procedures, schedules and fees uniform across counties and cities.
The Utah House of Representatives on Feb. 27 passed substitute House Bill 246, the Government Records Access and Management Act, to standardize public-records access across the state and to set uniform schedules and fees.
Representative Martin R. Stevens, the bill sponsor, said the measure aims to ensure that a person requesting a document in Moab or Salt Lake City would face the same rules and fees. "This is going to allow the public access to what we're doing in government," Stevens said during floor debate.
Lawmakers thanked members of the task force that negotiated the measure. Representative Price said he had spent "many hours" on the bill and supported standardizing records access statewide. The House adopted pink-sheet amendments under Representative Stevens' name and passed the substitute bill by voice vote; the roll call recorded 66 affirmative votes and no negatives.
The bill sets an effective date of April 1, 1992, giving local governments and agencies time to align practices. Sponsors described the measure as largely technical and procedural, saying it codifies agreed-upon processes rather than imposing new substantive restrictions. The measure will return to the Senate for further consideration and signature procedures.
Supporters portrayed the bill as bipartisan consensus: it had task-force input and won endorsements from members across the chamber. Opponents did not offer sustained floor objections during the recorded debate.
The House also accepted amendments clarifying implementation details and the effective date; the sponsor said the amendments would be incorporated into the bill before transmission back to the Senate.
