A MANUAL FOR ALABAMA PUBLIC OFFICIALS

COMPLIMENTS OF:
THE OFFICE OF ATTORNEY GENERAL, BILL PRYOR
and
THE ALABAMA PRESS ASSOCIATION

Revised: May 12, 2000

Prepared by Carol Jean Smith, Chief, Opinions Division,
Office of the Attorney General of the State of Alabama,
with the assistance of:

Dennis R. Bailey, General Counsel of the Alabama Press Association

William B. Keller, Executive Director: Alabama Press Association

Dr. Edward C. Bridges, Director, State Department of Archives and History
A. Alabama's Sunshine Law
1. The Statute
2. Overview
3. No Secret Meetings are Ever Required

B. Court interpretations of the Sunshine Law
1,. Good name and character
2. Notice
3. Attorney-client Meetings
4. Definition of a Meeting
5. Other Sunshine Law Rulings

C. Attorney General Opinions
1. Rules of Order
2. Types of Agencies Subject to Sunshine Law
3. Who May Attend Closed Meetings
4. Minutes
5. What Constitutes a Meeting
6. Polling
7. Notice
8. Good Name and Character
9. Students
10. Personnel Matters

ACCESS TO RECORDS
A. Open Records Act
1. The Statute
2. Overview
3. Right to a Copy
4. Definition of a Public Record
5. Duty to Preserve and Maintain Records
6. Statutory Exemptions

B. Interpretations of the Open Records Act
1. Stone vs. Consolidated Publishing
2. Payroll Records
3. Personnel Records
4. Computer Information
5. Standardized Test Scores
6. Protection of Records
7. Law Enforcement Records
a. Jail Logs
b. Uniform Incident/Offense Reports
c. Autopsy reports

C. Attorney General Opinions
1. Payment for copies of records
2. Computer Data
3. Employee Lists
4. Personnel Records
5. Applicants for Public Jobs
6. Administrative Complaints
7. Agencies Subject to the Open Records Law
8. Law Enforcement Records
a. Uniform Incident/Offense Reports
b. Pistol Permits
c. Radio Logs
d. Bingo Licenses and Permits
9. Burden of Proof

D. Miscellaneous
E. Attorney's Fees
CONTACT: Ed Mullins, ALACOG Co-Chair, Department of Journalism, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, Phone: 205-348-7155 mullins@jn.ua.edu.

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