House committee removes public record search fee from bill

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – An Indiana House committee has stripped provisions from a bill that would allow government entities to charge a searching fee for records requests.

House Education Committee members approved a measure Thursday that aims to eliminate duplicate and obsolete regulations to which Indiana schools adhere.

The effort to simplify school management would have also made major changes to the state’s Public Record Act, such as adding a $20-per-hour search fee for requests that take longer than two hours to fulfill.

Bill co-sponsor Rep. Tony Cook proposed an amendment to remove the changes.

The Cicero Republican says the provision would have impacted all types of state agencies, not just schools, and that kind of change should be considered separately.

The proposal now goes to the full House for consideration.