Under the fundamental philosophy of the American constitutional form of representative government that adheres to the principle that government is the servant and not the master of the people, it is the policy of this state that each person is entitled, unless otherwise expressly provided by law, at all times to complete information about the affairs of government and the official acts of public officials and employees. The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know. The people insist on remaining informed so that they may retain control over the instruments they have created. The provisions of this chapter shall be liberally construed to implement this policy.
Under the Public Information Act (PIA) and this framework, the term "governmental body" encompasses all public entities in the executive and legislative branches of government at the state and local levels.
Under the PIA and this framework, "public information" means information that is collected, assembled, or maintained under a law or ordinance or in connection with the transaction of official business:
The general forms in which the media containing public information exist include a book, paper, letter, document, printout, photograph, film, tape, microfiche, microfilm, photostat, sound recording, map, drawing, and a voice, data, or video representation held in computer memory.
To ensure that all requests and responses made under the PIA comply with the law, the requestor and responding entity should follow the 2010 Public Information Act Handbook.
The local educational agency (LEA) must make available to parents of children with disabilities and to the general public all documents relating to the eligibility of the agency or institution under the Individuals with Disabilties Education Act (IDEA).
