H.B. 6876, An Act Concerning the Copying of Public Records by Using a Hand-Held Scanner

As an organization that values government transparency and accessibility, the ACLU-CT supports people having access to records created by public agencies. This bill would stifle people’s accessibility to information they have a right to obtain. House Bill 6876 would make it more expensive for people to obtain the public information they seek from public agencies. People should not be required to pay for simply electronically copying documents. Allowing a member of the public to use their personal hand-held scanner, cell phone, or camera to copy public records does not cost the public agency, and it should not cost the public. The fees that would be charged under this bill would be cost-prohibitive for some people, making them unable to access public records.