Nebraska Public Records Law

From Sunshine Review

Jump to: navigation, search

Contents

State sunshine
State laws
How to ask for records
Transparency headlines
Statutory changes
Notable FOIA requests
State sunshine lawsuits
State court cases
E-mail access
Private agency, public dollars
The WikiFOIA portal

The Nebraska Public Records Law is a series of laws designed to guarantee that the public has access to public records of government bodies at all levels in Nebraska. Sections 84-712 - 84-712.09 of the Nebraska Revised Statutes define the law.

The Nebraska Open Meetings Act legislates the methods by which public meetings are conducted. Sections 84-1407 to 84-1414 of the Nebraska Revised Statutes define the law.

Nebraska's transparency report card

A 2008 study, BGA - Alper Integrity Index, conducted by the Better Government Association and sponsored by Alper Services, ranked Nebraska #6 in the nation with an overall percentage of 60.80%. [1]

A 2007 study, Graded state responsiveness to FOI requests, conducted by BGA and the NFOIC, gave Nebraska 87 points out of a possible 100, a letter grade of "B", and a ranking of 1 out of the 50 states.[2]

A 2002 study, Freedom of Information in the USA, conducted by IRE and BGA, ranked Nebraska's law as the best in the country, giving it a letter grade of "B".[3]

Public Records

Nebraska law guarantees it's citizens the right to examine documents and other records that the government produces in the course of carrying out public duties.

Open Meetings

Nebraska law declares "that the formation of public policy is public business and may not be conducted in secret. Every meeting of a public body shall be open to the public in order that citizens may exercise their democratic privilege of attending and speaking at meetings of public bodies".[4]

Who May Request Nebraska Records?

Any citizen of the state, or any person interested in the inner workings of government may request public records in Nebraska. "[A]ll citizens of this state, and all other persons interested in the examination of the public records... are hereby fully empowered and authorized to examine the same". [5]

For requester residency requirements in other states, see the list of who can make public record requests by state.

See Also

External Links

References

  1. ↑ Integrity Index available for download here
  2. ↑ Graded state responsiveness to FOI requests, 2007
  3. ↑ Freedom of Information in the USA, 2002
  4. ↑ Nebraska Revised Statutes Section 84-1408
  5. ↑ Nebraska Revised Statutes, Section 84-712 (1)
Retrieved from "http://sunshinereview.org/index.php/Nebraska_Public_Records_Law"