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State of Rhode Island: Office of the Attorney General Peter Kilmartin
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Home > Civil Division > Open Government / Access To Public Records
Open Government / Access To Public Records
The Open Government Unit investigates complaints against public bodies in Rhode Island for violations of the Open Meetings Act and/or the Access to Public Records Act. In 2010, the Unit investigated 83 open government complaints and issued 30 findings under the Open Meetings Act and 39 findings under the Access to Public Records Act.
The annual Open Government Summit was attended by over 416 legal counsels, members of public bodies and citizens.
In total, the Unit determined that public bodies violated the Open Meetings Act on 22 occasions and the Access to Public Records Act 26 times. In the majority of these cases, the office issued warnings to the public bodies. In two instances, the Unit filed suit seeking civil (monetary) penalties: against the Albion Fire District for willfully and knowingly posting insufficient agenda items, and against the Town of Barrington for willfully and knowingly failing to respond to a public records request in a timely manner.
The Unit continues to encourage open government through outreach and education, including hosting the annual Open Government Summit and distributing “The Attorney General’s Guide to Open Government,” a reference manual relied upon by both newly elected and seasoned members of public bodies, legal counsel and citizens. This proactive approach has positively impacted public bodies and citizens alike by encouraging open dialogue, which enables more government business to be performed in an open and public manner.
If you believe your rights under one of these laws have been violated, we encourage you to file a complaint with this Department. You should send your complaint, and any supporting materials to:
Lisa Pinsonneault, Special Assistant Attorney General
Rhode Island Office of Attorney General
150 South Main Street
Providence, RI 02903
Links to full text copies of our written advisory opinions and findings are provided below for your convenience. To learn more about the Access to Public Records Act and Open Meetings Act, we encourage you to download a copy of the Attorney General's Guide to Open Government.
If you wish to make an APRA request for documents maintained by the Office of Attorney General, view a copy of our APRA policy and our APRA request form. Requests for records maintained by other state or local governmental entities should be sent directly to those entities.
Open Government Summer Summit 2011
Open Goverment Summit Agenda - 2011
Open Government Summit Full Presentation - 2011
Open Government Summit Booklet
To access the archived video presentation please click the following link: http://clerkshq.com/default.ashx?clientsite=AGSummit-ri