Open Records Act

Open Records Act is the name for freedom of information laws in many States, such as Colorado, Kansas, and Georgia. Other States have minor variations on this title, such as the "Open Public Records Act."

At the federal level, the comparable law that applies to federal agencies is the Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA. Also, for obtaining or correcting information held by a federal agency about an individual himself, he can use the Privacy Act.

There are limited exemptions to all these laws in order to enable government to deny access to certain types of documents. These exemptions have spawned much litigation and numerous court decisions.