Read the law here
The New Mexico Legislature took some major steps toward modernizing the Inspection of Public Records Act this year, thanks to Rep. Eleanor Chavez and Sen. Stephen Fischmann.
Click here to see how the IPRA will read as of July 1.
Changes are:
1. Electronic records. If a document exists in electronic format, and you ask for it in electronic format, the public agency is required to give it to you in that format. (Note: there is no requirement to convert a document from paper to digital, or from one digital format to another. What they have is what you’ll get.)
2. Copy fees. The public agency may only charge the actual cost of downloading electronic public records to a storage device, or the actual cost of transmitting electronic records via e-mail or fax. No more per-page charges for PDFs and Word documents.
3. Helpful Info. A public notice describing how to request records – including contact information for the records custodian – must be posted on the agency’s web site.
4. Protected Personal Identifiers. The following information may be redacted from public records prior to release: Social Security numbers, month and day of dates of birth, and all but the last four digits of a taxpayer ID number, financial account number or driver’s license number.
Read the law here.