SENATE BILL No. 458

 

 

May 4, 2005, Introduced by Senators BASHAM, JACOBS, PRUSI, SCOTT and SCHAUER and referred to the Committee on Appropriations.

 

 

 

 

     A bill to amend 1976 PA 442, entitled

 

"Freedom of information act,"

 

by amending section 2 (MCL 15.232), as amended by 1996 PA 553; and

 

to repeal acts and parts of acts.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 2. (1) As used in this act:

 

     (a) "Field name" means the label or identification of an

 

element of a computer data base that contains a specific item of

 

information, and includes but is not limited to a subject heading

 

such as a column header, data dictionary, or record layout.

 

     (b) "FOIA coordinator" means either of the following:

 

     (i) An individual who is a public body.

 

     (ii) An individual designated by a public body in accordance


 

with section 6 to accept and process requests for public records

 

under this act.

 

     (c) "Person" means an individual, corporation, limited

 

liability company, partnership, firm, organization, association,

 

governmental entity, or other legal entity. Person does not include

 

an individual serving a sentence of imprisonment in a state or

 

county correctional facility in this state or any other state  ,  

 

or in a federal correctional facility.

 

     (d)  "Public  Subject to subsection (2), "public body" means

 

any of the following:

 

     (i) A state officer, employee, agency, department, division,

 

bureau, board, commission, council, authority, or other body in the

 

executive branch of the state government, but does not include the

 

governor,  or  lieutenant governor, their employees, or the

 

executive office of the governor or lieutenant governor  ,  or

 

employees  thereof  of those offices.

 

     (ii) An agency, board, commission, or council in the

 

legislative branch of the state government.

 

     (iii) A county, city, township, village, intercounty, intercity,

 

or regional governing body, council, school district, special

 

district, or municipal corporation, or a board, department,

 

commission, council, or agency  thereof  of any of those entities.

 

     (iv) Any other body  which  that is created by state or local

 

authority or  which  that is primarily funded by or through state

 

or local authority.

 

     (v) The judiciary, including the office of the county clerk

 

and employees thereof when acting in the capacity of clerk to the


 

circuit court, is not included in the definition of public body.

 

     (v) The governing board, or other decision-making body

 

responsible for implementation and supervision, of a public

 

employee retirement system created or established by this state or

 

any political subdivision of this state.

 

     (e) "Public record" means a writing prepared, owned, used, in

 

the possession of, or retained by a public body in the performance

 

of an official function, from the time it is created. Public record

 

does not include computer software. This act separates public

 

records into the following 2 classes:

 

     (i)  Those  Public records that are exempt from disclosure

 

under section 13.

 

     (ii)  All public  Public records that are not exempt from

 

disclosure under section 13 and  which  are subject to disclosure

 

under this act.

 

     (f) "Software" means a set of statements or instructions that

 

when incorporated in a machine usable medium is capable of causing

 

a machine or device having information processing capabilities to

 

indicate, perform, or achieve a particular function, task, or

 

result. Software does not include computer-stored information or

 

data, or a field name if disclosure of that field name does not

 

violate a software license.

 

     (g) "Unusual circumstances" means any 1 or  a combination  

 

more of the following, but only to the extent necessary for the

 

proper processing of a request:

 

     (i) The need to search for, collect, or appropriately examine

 

or review a voluminous amount of separate and distinct public


 

records pursuant to a single request.

 

     (ii) The need to collect the requested public records from

 

numerous field offices, facilities, or other establishments  which  

 

that are located apart from the particular office receiving or

 

processing the request.

 

     (h) "Writing" means handwriting, typewriting, printing,

 

photostating, photographing, photocopying, and every other means of

 

recording.  , and  The term includes letters, words, pictures,

 

sounds, or symbols, or combinations  thereof, and  of them. The

 

term includes papers, maps, magnetic or paper tapes, photographic

 

films or prints, microfilm, microfiche, magnetic or punched cards,

 

discs, drums, or other means of recording or retaining meaningful

 

content.

 

     (i) "Written request" means a writing that asks for

 

information, and includes a writing transmitted by facsimile,

 

electronic mail, or other electronic means.

 

     (2) The judiciary, including the office and employees of the

 

county clerk when acting in the capacity of clerk to the circuit

 

court, is not a public body.

 

     Enacting section 1.  Section 20l of the public employee

 

retirement system investment act, 1965 PA 314, MCL 38.1140l, is

 

repealed.