© 2024 KRWG
News that Matters.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Five more New Mexico agencies file responses in public records compliance audit

  ALBUQUERQUE -- A week after the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government (NMFOG) released the results of its audit to determine compliance by state agencies and counties with public records requests, five additional state agencies now have filed responses. 

However, none of the six counties that ignored the initial Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA) filings have followed up in the wake of the audit. One of the state agencies initially considered to be a nonresponder -- the Sentencing Commission -- contacted NMFOG after it determined the requester used the wrong email address for the commission. 

The public records requests were filed with 122 state agencies and boards and 33 counties and sought IPRA logs kept by the public bodies in 2014, 2015 and 2016. To better assess compliance, the IPRAs were made by a citizen, not NMFOG. 

Of the five additional agencies responding to the citizen's IPRA requests, only the New Mexico Livestock Board kept detailed charts on public records requests during the last three years. As a result of these updated findings, state boards and agencies racked up a total of 8,654 and 10,121 public records requests in 2014 and 2015 respectively. 

The New Mexico Board of Nursing, the Public Schools Insurance Authority and the Cultural Properties Review Committee are the other three states agencies that filed IPRA responses after the audit report was issued. Four state agencies still have not reached out to NMFOG with their responses.

For the updated NMFOG state audit, click herefor the NMFOG county audit, click here. To review IPRA logs provided by the state agencies or counties, email info@nmfog.org.

                                                                     

###

About FOG

Founded in 1990, The New Mexico Foundation for Open Government educates, advocates and litigates for transparency. FOG is the only statewide non-profit, non-partisan, member-supported organization dedicated to protecting the public's right to know. FOG is committed to enhancing our democracy by informing citizens and officials about their rights and responsibilities under New Mexico's Sunshine Laws. To learn more, visit www.nmfog.org.