Bill > H0253

This bill amends Idaho's public records laws to create different procedures and fee structures for resident and nonresident public records requests. The bill defines a "resident" as someone who has been domiciled in Idaho for at least 30 days, excluding full-time students from another state, and introduces new provisions that give public agencies more time to respond to nonresident requests. Specifically, while resident requests must be responded to within three working days, nonresident requests now have a 21-day response window. The bill also allows public agencies to establish separate fee schedules for resident and nonresident requests, with nonresident requests potentially incurring higher fees. For residents, the first two hours of labor and first 100 pages of records remain free, and fee rates are limited to the lowest administrative staff pay rate. In contrast, fees for nonresident requests can be set at the discretion of the public agency, as long as they do not exceed actual costs. These changes aim to provide more flexibility for government agencies in handling public records requests while maintaining transparency for Idaho residents.

Government Affairs

State Affairs Committee (H)

https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2025/legislation/H0253/