Bill would limit fees charged for Freedom of Information requests

A bill sponsored by S.C. Rep. Bill Taylor, R-Aiken, would make it cheaper and faster for citizens to get copies of public documents using the state Freedom of Information Act, officials from the S.C. Press Association said.

The measure passed out of a House subcommittee Wednesday morning,

"My goal is to balance power ... maybe give the advantage to the real citizens who pay for all this," Taylor testified about the bill. He said his bill will make it not quite so difficult for citizens to get records.

Taylor said Wednesday night that the subcommittee had two hearings, listening to a number of stories from citizens about their problems with compliance from government entities following FOI requests. Among those testifying, said Taylor, were Aiken residents Jane Page Thompson and Claude O'Donovan - their remarks related to requests for documents from the Aiken County School District during the construction bond referendum campaign in 2010.

"We've heard from numerous people, and legislators have their own problems with this," Taylor said. "This would bring some peace to the law. We are urging in the legislation that governments would be entitled to supply the information electronically when they can."

Some government agencies throw up barriers to FOI requests, Taylor said, by trying to charge for staff time. The proposed measure would allow only a fee comparable to those charged commercially and no fee at all for electronic format.

Currently, there is no time limit for FOI compliance. Taylor's bill would require that the requested materials be produced in no less than 30 days. However, Taylor said that a request for information going back more than two years would add another 45 days for an agency to fulfill the request.

"The bill will have fines for non-compliance that could even become criminal penalties," Taylor said. "This gets out the message that they have to comply."

Senior writer Rob Novit, a journalist for the past 41 years, joined the Aiken Standard staff in 2001. He reports on education news and general assignments.