Wyoming Sunshine Law

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Contents

State Sunshine Laws
State Sunshine laws
State Open Meeting Laws
Transparency headlines
Statutory changes
Notable FOIA requests
How to ask for records
State sunshine lawsuits
State court cases
E-mail access
Private agency, public dollars
The WikiFOIA portal

The Wyoming Sunshine Law is a series of laws designed to guarantee that the public has access to public records of government bodies at all levels in Wyoming.

The Wyoming Public Meeting Law legislates the methods by which public meetings are conducted.

To learn more about how to make a public records request in this state, please see: Wyoming FOIA procedures

[edit] Recent news

[edit] Transparency blocking

More transparency blocking news from across the country.

[edit] Litigation

More FOIA litigation news from across the country.

[edit] Legislation

More FOIA legislation news from across the country.

[edit] Sunshine Guardians

No recent news. If you have news add it here

Other Sunshine Guardians from across the country.

[edit] Relevant legal cases

See also: Court cases with an impact on state FOIA

Here is a list of lawsuits in Wyoming. For more information go the page or go to Wyoming sunshine lawsuits.
(The cases are listed alphabetically. To order them by year please click the icon below the Year heading)

Lawsuit Year
Allsop v. Cheyenne Newspapers 2002
Houghton v. Franscell 1994
Laramie River Conservation Council v. Dinger 1977
Record-Times, Inc. v. Town of Wheatland 1982
Sheridan Newspapers v. City of Sheridan 1983
Sublette County Rural Health Care District v. Miley 1997
University of Wyoming v. Gressley 1999
Williams v. Stafford 1979
Wyoming Department of Transportation v. International Union of Operating Engineers Local Union 800 1995

[edit] Wyoming's transparency report card

A 2008 study, BGA - Alper Integrity Index, conducted by the Better Government Association and sponsored by Alper Services, ranked Wyoming #45 in the nation with an overall percentage of 38.60%. [1]

A 2007 study, Graded state responsiveness to FOI requests, conducted by BGA and the NFOIC, gave Wyoming 16 points out of a possible 100, a letter grade of "F", and a ranking of 46 out of the 50 states.[2]

A 2002 study, Freedom of Information in the USA, conducted by IRE and BGA, ranked Wyoming's law as the 46th worst in the country, giving it a letter grade of "F".[3]

[edit] Features of the law

[edit] What records are covered?

The definition of records includes all documents, no matter their physical form, that have been created or received by government agencies in the course of public business. [4]

Notable exemptions include but are not limited to:

  • Law enforcement investigations and security information, including building plans and layouts
  • Examinations
  • Academic research
  • Appraisals for potential land purchases/sales
  • Medical information
  • Limited to the day to day records of patient care and not administrative records. See Houghton v. Franscell
  • Adoption records
  • Information in an individuals personal file excluding documents that outline work agreements
  • Letters of reference
  • Trade secrets
  • Donated library and museum materials
  • Hospital records
  • Student records
  • Individuals library records
  • 9-1-1 calls
  • Internal investigation information

An additional important exception notes that, "If, in the opinion of the official custodian of any public record, disclosure of the contents of the record would do substantial injury to the public interest, notwithstanding the fact that the record might otherwise be available to public inspection, he may apply to the district court of the district in which the record is located for an order permitting him to restrict disclosure."[5]

However, while Wyoming law does not require the separation of exempt from non exempt material, a number of court cases have established this as an appropriate method for insuring the release of non-exempt material despite its commingling with exempt material. See Allsop v. Cheyenne Newspapers and Sheridan Newspapers v. City of Sheridan.

[edit] What agencies are covered?

Wyoming law covers all branches of government at both the state and local levels.

[edit] Who may request records?

See also: List of who can make public record requests by state.

Anyone may request public records in Wyoming. "The custodian of any public records shall allow any person the right of inspection of the records". [6]

[edit] Must a purpose be stated?

The law does not require a statement of purpose for open records requests.

[edit] How can records be used?

There are no restrictions placed on the use of open records.

[edit] Time allowed for response

See also: Request response times by state.

The Wyoming Sunshine Law does not specify response times.

[edit] Fees for records

Wyoming law allows fees to be charged for both the cost of duplication as well as the cost of collection and assembly. [7]

[edit] Open meetings

"The agencies of Wyoming exist to conduct public business. Certain deliberations and actions shall be taken openly as provided in this act." [8]

[edit] Proposed changes

See also Proposed reforms in state sunshine laws, 2009.

[edit] Notable requests

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] References