Utah lawmakers exempt media from public records fee proposal

By SAM METZ
Associated Press

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah lawmakers on Tuesday exempted members of the media from a proposal to allow governments to charge additional fees for certain public record requests. The original proposal would have allowed government agencies to impose additional fees on members of the public who request government records multiple times within a 10-day period. An amendment passed through a Senate committee on Tuesday carves out an exception for members of the media, who can still request records under the existing fee structure. A lobbyist for the Utah Media Coalition says it made more sense to pursue bad actors rather than impose fees on all legitimate requesters, including journalists.