With an election coming up and recent changes in the law, it may be time to think about the classification of voter registration records. Parts of voter registration records are public, other parts are private, some are entirely private, and signatures are protected as outlined below: Private (Utah Code Section 63G-2-302(j)): Driver license or identification number Social Security number or …
Legislative Updates to GRAMA and PRMA
In the 2019 session, the Utah Legislature updated the Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA) and the Public Records Management Act (PRMA). Senator Wayne Harper, sponsored two bills (Senate bills 25 and 108) which contained the most significant changes. With Senate bill 25, the Legislature created a new records management committee. This new committee will approve records retention schedules …
Verifying a Requester’s Identity
The Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA) provides for the release of private records to certain individuals. These individuals include the subject of the record, a parent or guardian, and additional individuals who have a notarized release or power of attorney (Utah Code Section 63G-2-202(1)(a)). GRAMA also states that before releasing a private (controlled or protected) record, a records …
State Records Committee News
Patricia Smith-Mansfield, who served as the Governor’s designee on the State Records Committee for 14 years while she was director of Utah State Archives and Records Service, is back on the Committee. Now she is a citizen representative. Tricia, welcome back! Tricia’s years of experience, and knowledge of records law are valuable assets for the Committee. The State Records Committee …
Archives welcomes New State Records Committee Executive Secretary
Gina Proctor has accepted the position of Executive Secretary for the State Records Committee. In this role, Gina will be receiving and processing appeals of records access denials as they are submitted for the Committee’s consideration. Gina will provide support for the Committee. She will write the minutes, schedule the hearings, notify all parties about meeting dates, and process details. …
GRAMA Legislative Updates 2018
The 2018 Utah Legislature updated the Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA). These updates include additions to the list of items identified as not a record, specific additions to the list of protected records, and certain procedural details. Not a record The Legislature modified the list of items that are not a record (Utah Code Section 63G-2-103(22)(b): child pornography is …
Good-bye Nova
For the past three and a half years, Nova Dubovik has been the executive secretary for the State Records Committee. In that position, she received and scheduled all appeals for denials associated with GRAMA requests. She has kept the Committee’s minutes and issued the Committee’s orders. She has traveled all over the state to provide training on GRAMA (Government Records …
Public Service Recognition Week
As part of Utah’s Public Service Recognition Week, we want to honor the men and women of the Utah State Archives and Records Service who work to ensure the management and preservation of and access to our governmental records. Three employees whose work helps ensure that records and information are available to the public are Nova Dubovik, Elizabeth Perkes, and Glen …
A Clearly Unwarranted Invasion of Personal Privacy
Utah State Archives notes that the American Library Association has created Choose Privacy Week, an “annual, week-long event that promotes the importance of individual privacy rights and celebrates libraries and librarians’’ unique role in protecting privacy in the library and in society as a whole.” Much has been said about the value of government transparency, however, personal privacy is also important. The …
GRAMA Updates – 2017
The Legislative session ended March 9th and as has been the case every year since its enactment in 1992, the state has a new iteration of the Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA). On the side of more sunshine, the definition of a governmental entity is expanded to include a governmental non-profit corporation (House Bill 55). Affected non-profit …