Albuquerque, NM (KKOB) –A bi-partisan effort designed to speed along the process of public information requests has resulted in the sponsorship of House Joint Memorial 2. Along with support from the Foundation for Open Government, the memorial would create a task force that would analyze the backlog and help record custodians fulfill requests quicker. Representative Cathrynn Brown of Carlsbad told the Albuquerque Journal, “The Inspection of Public Records Act is essential to achieving transparency and accountability in government,” adding “The sheer volume of records requests, however, has overwhelmed many state agencies and local governments, and records custodians are struggling to keep up.” The legislation, if passed, would bring together representatives from the NM Attorney General’s Office, Administrative Office of the Courts, NM Foundation for Open Government, and others, along with legal counsel specializing in IPRA to determine how requests can be processed on a more timely basis.
