ABQSunlight.com is an attempt to shine some sunlight on the activities of our state and local governments, using New Mexico’s Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA) as its primary research tool.
Those of us who live in New Mexico are fortunate to have strong laws – IPRA and its companion statute, the Open Meetings Act – which guarantee public access to public records and meetings of public agencies.
Section 14-2-5 of the New Mexico Statutes explains:
Recognizing that a representative government is dependent upon an informed electorate, . . . it is declared to be the public policy of this state, that all persons are entitled to the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of public officers and employees. It is the further intent of the legislature, and it is declared to be the public policy of this state, that to provide persons with such information is an essential function of a representative government and an integral part of the routine duties of public officers and employees.
While there are exceptions to this openness, enumerated in the statutes, they have been drafted narrowly. More often than not, New Mexico courts have respected this statement of legislative intent and rejected public agencies’ unjustified attempts to shield public records from inspection.
Unfortunately, the effectiveness of these laws guaranteeing transparency is dependent on our awareness of their rights to access records and observe meetings and our willingness to exercise out rights under these statutes. It is also dependent on governmental officials’ willingness to abide by these laws. Too often, requests to inspect public records are met with delay, omission, and assertion of exemptions not recognized by law.
This blog is dedicated to increasing the transparency of our local and state governments, with an eye toward both increased access to government information and improvements public policy.
In future posts, you’ll see:
- Investigations of the activities of local and state government agencies, and other matters of public concern, based on public records obtained through the Inspection of Public Records Act.
- Suggestions for reforms and advocacy of changes in public policy, usually based on those investigations.
- Discussions of IPRA itself, how it is (and can be) used, and the challenges faced by requesters faced with delays, incompetence, circumvention of the law, and other practices which improperly thwart transparency.
- Coverage of legislative attempts to restrict access to public records or place new burdens on those who seek access to them.
Because much of what is posted here will be based on extensive documentation, you can expect that the posts will be detailed and unusually lengthy, as blog posts go. Whenever possible, longer reports will be split into multiple posts, to increase readability. Links to key documents will be provided, so you can see the primary research materials.
ABQSunlight.com will begin by focusing on policing, homelessness, and land use issues, but is open to covering any aspect of government functions. If you have a tip or a suggestion for an investigation, please email blog@abqsunlight.com.
And if you like what you read here, feel free to leave the other kind of tip, via PayPal to the same email address. Records custodians are allowed to charge up to $1.00 per page for copies, so transparency doesn’t come cheap. (Contributions are not tax-deductible.)
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