Text to be removed highlighted in red.
1 Public Officers and Employees; Access to Governmental Records and Meetings; Definitions. Amend RSA 91-A:1-a, II to read as follows:
II. "Governmental proceedings" means the transaction of any functions affecting any or all citizens of the state by a public body, .
2 New Paragraphs; Public Officers and Employees; Access to Governmental Records and Meetings; Minutes and Records Available for Public Inspection. Amend RSA 91-A:4 by inserting after paragraph IX the following new paragraphs:
X. A public body or agency may charge actual costs for redaction and processing of body-worn camera requests in accordance with paragraph IV.
XI. A public body or agency shall respond to requests for footage under this section within 5 business days and provide either the records, an explanation for denial, or a statement of time needed for redaction and processing to the requester.
3 New Section; Public Officers and Employees; Access to Governmental Records and Meetings; Disclosure of Police Body-Worn Camera Footage. Amend RSA 91-A by inserting after section 4 the following new section:
91-A:4-a Disclosure of Police Body-Worn Camera Footage.
I. Body-worn camera footage recorded by law enforcement officers in the course of official duties shall be subject to public disclosure under this chapter.
II. Prior to disclosure of any body-worn camera record, the public body or public agency shall redact:
(a) Personal identifying information of individuals, including social security numbers, addresses, phone numbers, medical or welfare data, and other information whose disclosure would constitute an invasion of privacy under RSA 91-A:5, IV.
(b) Imagery of minors, victims of sexual assault, and private locations where individuals have a reasonable expectation of privacy, unless the public interest in disclosure outweighs the privacy interest.
(c) Any other content exempt under RSA 91-A:5 or federal law.
III. Requests for records shall be processed in accordance with RSA 91-A:4, with redactions documented in writing, specifying the statutory basis for each withheld or redacted portion.
4 Repeal. RSA 91-A:5, X, relative to exempting body-worn camera footage from disclosure, is repealed.
5 Effective Date. This act shall take effect January 1, 2027.
Text to be added highlighted in green.
1 Public Officers and Employees; Access to Governmental Records and Meetings; Definitions. Amend RSA 91-A:1-a, II to read as follows:
II. "Governmental proceedings" means the transaction of any functions affecting any or all citizens of the state by a public body, and includes video and audio recordings created by law enforcement officers in the performance of official duties through body-worn cameras, except as limited byRSA 91-A:5 or other applicable law .
2 New Paragraphs; Public Officers and Employees; Access to Governmental Records and Meetings; Minutes and Records Available for Public Inspection. Amend RSA 91-A:4 by inserting after paragraph IX the following new paragraphs:
X. A public body or agency may charge actual costs for redaction and processing of body-worn camera requests in accordance with paragraph IV.
XI. A public body or agency shall respond to requests for footage under this section within 5 business days and provide either the records, an explanation for denial, or a statement of time needed for redaction and processing to the requester.
3 New Section; Public Officers and Employees; Access to Governmental Records and Meetings; Disclosure of Police Body-Worn Camera Footage. Amend RSA 91-A by inserting after section 4 the following new section:
91-A:4-a Disclosure of Police Body-Worn Camera Footage.
I. Body-worn camera footage recorded by law enforcement officers in the course of official duties shall be subject to public disclosure under this chapter.
II. Prior to disclosure of any body-worn camera record, the public body or public agency shall redact:
(a) Personal identifying information of individuals, including social security numbers, addresses, phone numbers, medical or welfare data, and other information whose disclosure would constitute an invasion of privacy under RSA 91-A:5, IV.
(b) Imagery of minors, victims of sexual assault, and private locations where individuals have a reasonable expectation of privacy, unless the public interest in disclosure outweighs the privacy interest.
(c) Any other content exempt under RSA 91-A:5 or federal law.
III. Requests for records shall be processed in accordance with RSA 91-A:4, with redactions documented in writing, specifying the statutory basis for each withheld or redacted portion.
4 Repeal. RSA 91-A:5, X, relative to exempting body-worn camera footage from disclosure, is repealed.
5 Effective Date. This act shall take effect January 1, 2027.