(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine today released the 2015 edition of Ohio Sunshine Laws: An Open Government Resource Manual. The release of the manual, commonly referred to as the “Yellow Book,” coincides with the beginning of Sunshine Week.
“The ‘Yellow Book’ is published to help requesters understand their rights and for government agencies to understand their obligations under Ohio’s Sunshine Laws,” said Attorney General DeWine. “Knowing what is required when you submit or receive a records request is the easiest way to eliminate records disputes and to promote open, transparent government.”
The Sunshine Laws Manual provides summaries of Revised Code provisions and case law regarding the Ohio Public Records Act and Open Meetings Act. The 2015 edition includes updates on recent open government legal decisions and law changes. It can be accessed at www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/YellowBook.
In addition to producing the “Yellow Book,” the Ohio Attorney General’s Public Records Unit conducts Sunshine Laws Trainings at dozens of locations around Ohio. The training on Ohio Public Records Act is required for local public officials or their designee at least once per elected term and also includes training on the Open Meetings Act. These trainings are also open to the public and media. A list of trainings can be found at www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/SunshineLawTraining.
In December, Attorney General also announced that these Sunshine Laws Trainings are now also available as an online video course. The course is available to anyone through the Attorney General’s website at no cost to the user and is approved for three hours of self-study Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credit by the Supreme Court of Ohio. The online training can be accessed at https://SunshineLaw.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov
The Ohio Attorney General’s Public Records Unit also operates a voluntary Public Records Mediation Program to resolve disputes between local government entities and records requestors. Since the program was launched in the summer of 2012, it has received more than 170 mediation requests, with most requests being successfully resolved for both parties. The program can help requestors receive their records more quickly when there is a dispute, and the program protects taxpayers by helping local governments avoid costly litigation. Information on this program can be found at www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/PublicRecordsMediation.
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