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State of Rhode Island: Office of the Attorney General Peter Kilmartin

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Open Government / Access To Public Records

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Phone: (401) 274-4400
APRA, effective September 1, 2012”

Open Government Summit 101

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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 2012, the Unit investigated 78 open government complaints and issued 41 findings under the OMA and 34 findings under the APRA.

In total, the Unit determined that public bodies violated the OMA on 18 occasions and the APRA 19 times. In the majority of these cases, the Unit issued warnings to the public bodies. In three instances, the Unit filed suit seeking civil monetary penalties against the Manville Fire District, the West Warwick Town Council, and The Rhode Island Student Loan Authority.

Legislative Changes to Improve the Access to Public Records Act

The Unit continues to encourage open government through outreach and education. In July, the annual Open Government Summit drew nearly 600 attendees, a record attendance for this event. 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 above 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.