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132nd MAINE LEGISLATURE
FIRST SPECIAL SESSION-2025
Legislative Document No. 1683H.P. 1118House of Representatives, April 17, 2025
An Act to Make a Freedom of Access Act Request Free of Charge
upon Petition
Reference to the Committee on Judiciary suggested and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative CHAPMAN of Auburn.
Cosponsored by Representatives: BOYER of Poland, FAULKINGHAM of Winter Harbor,
FREDERICKS of Sanford, HENDERSON of Rumford, LIBBY of Auburn, Senators:
HAGGAN of Penobscot, HICKMAN of Kennebec, TIMBERLAKE of Androscoggin. Page 1 - 132LR1280(01)
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2 is enacted to read:
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4 requestor submits a request pursuant to this section for a public record and that request is
5 accompanied by a petition signed by at least 150 individuals registered to vote in this State
6 making the same request, the agency or official having custody or control of the public
7 record may not charge the requestor any of the costs incurred by the agency or official in
8 complying with the request, including those specified in subsection 8.
9 An agency or official that receives a request pursuant to this subsection shall provide an
10 update regarding the status of the request at least every 30 working days after the date the
11 request is received, as determined pursuant to subsection 3.
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13 This bill amends the Freedom of Access Act by:
14 1. Prohibiting the charging of a fee by an agency or official that has custody or control
15 of a public record that is requested if that request is accompanied by a petition signed by at
16 least 150 individuals registered to vote in this State making the same request; and
17 2. Requiring that the agency or official to provide an update regarding the status of the
18 request at least every 30 working days; current law requires the agency or official to make
19 a good faith effort to comply with the request within the nonbinding estimate of time
20 provided by the agency or official.
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