The Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) is the state freedom of information law in Colorado. Enacted in 1969, the legislation was patterned after the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).[1]
History and reform efforts
editFollowing the passage of the 1977 Criminal Justice Records Act, law enforcement agencies and courts were given discretion to withhold all criminal justice documents with the exception of "records of official action", including arrest and conviction records.[1]
In the 21st century, concerns over high fees for filing requests for information and inadequate access to filing systems has led to calls for reforming the law.[2] In 2014, a coalition of lawmakers pushed a proposal to cap charges for filing CORA requests to four times the Colorado minimum wage.[3] In 2020, a Denver Post investigation discovered wide inconsistencies between state agencies' email retention practices, raising freedom of information concerns.[4]
In 2022, a bipartisan coalition in the Colorado Senate led by Democrat Chris Hansen and Republican John Cooke pushed reform legislation that would have, among other provisions, abolished per-page fees for electronic record requests. However, the bill ultimately did not make it into law[2]
See also
edit- Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), federal legislation governing freedom of information
- Freedom of information in the United States
References
edit- ^ a b Szewczyk, Gregory P.; Kelley, Thomas B.; Zansberg, Steven D. "Open Government Guide Colorado - Reporters Committee". The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
- ^ a b Burness, Alex (2022-04-23). "In Colorado, open records aren't always very open. Another reform attempt just fizzled". The Denver Post. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
- ^ Roberts, Jeffrey A. (2014-02-19). "Amended CORA fees bill sets cap for filling requests at four times minimum wage". Colorado FOIC. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
- ^ Burness, Alex (2019-11-08). "Emails are being purged across Colorado state government". The Denver Post. Retrieved 2023-04-02.