Bill > HB314

This bill amends Ohio's public records law to address potential harassment of public offices through public records requests and to provide more flexibility in responding to such requests. Specifically, the bill allows public offices to seek court intervention if they believe a requester is submitting multiple related or unrelated requests intended to harass or disrupt the office's essential functions. If a court determines by a preponderance of evidence that the requests are harassing, it may limit or deny such requests, and can even issue an order preventing future requests from that individual. The bill provides exceptions to this provision for journalists, pro se litigants, government attorneys, and other specified entities. Additionally, the bill allows public offices to engage private contractors to respond to voluminous records requests, with the cost of the contractor's services potentially being passed on to the requester. The legislation aims to balance the public's right to access government records with protecting public offices from potentially abusive or disruptive request patterns, while maintaining important protections for legitimate requesters seeking information in the public interest.

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https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/136/hb314