Bill > SB1002

This bill amends existing law to clarify how government agencies must provide public records in electronic formats, ensuring that if a record is in an electronic format and not otherwise exempt from disclosure, the agency must make it available in that electronic format upon request, generally in the format the agency uses to create copies for itself or other agencies, with the requester covering direct duplication costs unless the request requires the agency to compile, extract, or program data, or produce a record only made at scheduled intervals, in which case the requester bears those additional costs; it also clarifies that agencies are not required to reconstruct records no longer in electronic format, nor are they compelled to provide records only in electronic format, nor must they release records in a way that compromises their security or integrity, or the security of proprietary software, and it does not permit access to records otherwise restricted by law. Additionally, this bill mandates a study by the State Chief Information Officer to assess the feasibility of providing electronic records in an "open format," which is defined as a format that is searchable by common internet tools, platform-independent, machine-readable, and reusable without restrictions, and requires the study to be delivered to legislative committees by January 1, 2014.