To educate and inform newly-elected and appointed officials about the state's Access to Public Records Act (APRA) and Open Meetings Act (OMA), Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin will lead an "Open Government Summit 101." The summit will be held on Tuesday, January 8, 2013 at the Community College of Rhode Island Flanagan Campus, Lincoln, 9:30 a.m. – 12:00 noon.
"Democracy is built on the principle of transparent, open and accessible government, which is the key to maintaining the public's trust of its elected officials," said Attorney General Kilmartin. "It is critical that all public officials understand their responsibility to adhere to the state's Open Meetings Act and Access to Public Records Act. It is also important for the public to know what they have the right to demand of their elected officials."
The session will commence with remarks by Attorney General Kilmartin. Assistant Attorney General Michael W. Field, chief of the Open Government Unit, and Special Assistant Attorney General Lisa Pinsonneault will follow with a presentation explaining the statutory requirements of APRA and OMA.
The presentation will include an overview of the APRA and will highlight how to determine whether a document is a public record, how to respond to a public record request and how to establish guidelines for public access. The Summit will also focus on frequent trouble areas and an overview of the 2012 APRA amendments.
The OMA portion of the Summit will highlight how to determine when the OMA applies and when an executive session is appropriate, posting notices, amending agendas and maintaining minutes, as well as a review of frequent trouble areas. The Summit will close with a Q&A session. Registration for the event, which is free and open to the public, can be made by contacting the Attorney General's Office at 274-4400, ext. 2101, or by sending an email to agsummit@riag.ri.gov.