Revision: Jan. 11, 2010, midnight
HB 646-FN-LOCAL – AS INTRODUCED
2007 SESSION
09/05
HOUSE BILL 646-FN-LOCAL
AN ACT establishing a fee for copies of police and fire reports.
SPONSORS: Rep. Ulery, Hills 27
COMMITTEE: Municipal and County Government
This bill establishes a fee for copies of police and fire reports.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
07-1089
09/05
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Seven
AN ACT establishing a fee for copies of police and fire reports.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Records Available for Public Inspection; Fees for Copies of Police and Fire Reports. Amend RSA 91-A:4, IV to read as follows:
IV. Each public body or agency shall, upon request for any public record reasonably described, make available for inspection and copying any such public record within its files when such records are immediately available for such release. If a public body or agency is unable to make a public record available for immediate inspection and copying, it shall, within 5 business days of request, make such record available, deny the request in writing with reasons, or furnish written acknowledgment of the receipt of the request and a statement of the time reasonably necessary to determine whether the request shall be granted or denied. If a photocopying machine or other device maintained for use by a body or agency is used by the body or agency to copy the public record or document requested, the person requesting the copy may be charged the actual cost of providing the copy, which cost may be collected by the body or agency, except that the charge for police and fire agency reports shall be $10 for the first one to 5 pages and $1 for each page over 5 pages. Nothing in this section shall exempt any person from paying fees otherwise established by law for obtaining copies of public records or documents, but if such fee is established for the copy, no additional costs or fees shall be charged.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect January 1, 2008.
LBAO
07-1089
Revised 03/02/07
HB 646 FISCAL NOTE
AN ACT establishing a fee for copies of police and fire reports.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The New Hampshire Municipal Association states this bill will increase local revenue by an indeterminable amount in FY 2008 and each year thereafter. The Department of Safety states this bill will increase state, county, and local revenue and expenditures by an indeterminable amount in FY 2008 and each year thereafter.
METHODOLOGY:
The Department of Safety states this bill would establish a fee for copies of police and fire agency reports at $10 for the first five pages and $1 for each page over five pages. This bill would affect police and fire agencies at all levels of government in New Hampshire. The Department is not able to estimate the number of requests nor the numbers of pages of reports that would be copied thus it is unable to determine the fiscal impact of this bill on revenue and expenditures.
The New Hampshire Municipal Association states this bill will increase revenue by an indeterminable amount. The Association states the charges in this bill are higher than what most municipalities charge for copies of records under the current law allowing for the actual cost to provide copies to be collected.