A bill that defines a new process for resolving conflicts over access to public information has been signed into law.
Republican Senate President Keith Faber’s bill moved quickly through the legislature.
It allows an individual to accelerate the method of challenging the public records access process by filing a complaint with the Court of Claims for $25 instead of hiring legal representative and going straight to court.
Through the new method, the Court of Claims will begin a mediation process. If that fails, a Special Master there will make an expedited recommendation for the court to consider before issuing a binding decision.
Faber had said the proposal removes the legal and financial barriers that ordinary Ohioans sometimes face when trying to get public records. The Ohio Newspaper Association supports the new law.
