Open Book

The state’s recently passed biennial budget included some changes to Ohio’s public records law. Some of the changes were within the Public Records Act itself, some are exceptions to the Public Records Act that fall under the “catch-all” exemption under R.C. 149.43(A)(1)(v) and some create a category of public records altogether.  Read on to learn about the new provisions, effective Sept. 30, 2021.

In 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic persisting, the General Assembly passed House Bill 197 and then H.B. 404, giving public bodies the ability to meet virtually instead of in person, as required by Ohio’s Open Meetings Act (R.C. 121.22). The law change was temporary, however, and we are now back under the “old” law.