PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The state Attorney General's office filed lawsuits against public bodies for violating Rhode Island's public records law just six times in the past 13 years, according to a new report by the Rhode Island affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union.
That's less than four percent of all the times that the office found violations of the law between 1999 and June 2012, the ACLU said.
The report comes after the state legislature approved last June significant changes to the state's Access to Public Records Act, including tougher financial penalties for agencies found to be in violation.
Steven Brown, executive director of the Rhode Island ACLU, said he hoped last year's changes to the law will lead to stronger enforcement by the Attorney General's office and greater compliance by public agencies.