Rochester's 'citizen' chicanery will be null and void if House Bill 1696 passes muster

Rochester Voice editor Harrison Thorp gives the Judiciary Committee a thumbs up after learning the 'citizen' issue used by the City of Rochester to thwart RTK requests will be addressed in HB 1696. (State of NH live stream)

CONCORD - A House Bill that would urge municipalities to accept digital Right to Know requests gathered steam on Wednesday following testimony before the New Hampshire House Judiciary Committee by news outlets and Right to Know advocates.

House Bill 1696, sponsored by state rep David Bickford, R-New Durham, says that "Nothing in this section shall prevent the public body or agency from accepting a governmental record request by electronic means or from providing such records electronically, without requiring the physical appearance of the citizen making the request."
Among those testifying at the Judiciary Committee on Wednesday were Bickford, Strafford 1 rep Cliff Newton, R-Rochester, Rochester Voice editor and publisher Harrison Thorp, Union Leader publisher and New Hampshire Press Association President Brendan McQuaid and Gilles Bissonnette, legal director of the ACLU of New Hampshire.
Bickford told The Rochester Voice on Thursday that he was "very happy with how the day of testimony went," adding that the Judiciary Committee seemed "very receptive and concerned about towns not giving out information electronically."
Bickford said that the New Hampshire Municipal Association was central to the problem, saying they are orchestrating "speed bumps" to those seeking government documents.
"They've been at the forefront of the problem," he told The Voice in an exclusive interview. "The NHMA has become an organization like they're them (municipal government) and we're the public, and they don't have to work with us. They don't seem to care if they make life tough on the public."
Bissonnette testified that Bickford's bill was well conceived, but he thought is should be tougher on municipalities.
"The language should be stronger," he said. "This is a growing problem. Even when just a couple of documents are requested they should reply immediately with no cost. This is a needless problem. "(Digital compliance)
should be a mandate."
Newton testified that how he was forced to spend nearly half his salary as state rep for copies of his Right to Know request in today's technological age is ridiculous.
"Keep it green, use the screen," he quipped to the bemusement of many committee members.
Thorp also testified during the meeting, arguing that his being denied Right to Know documents because the City of Rochester said he was not a citizen of New Hampshire was nothing short of a blasphemy against a recognized, award-winning news entity.
Both Bickford and McQuaid referenced The Rochester Voice during their testimony as showing the "speed bumps" put before news entities as well as just regular private citizens.
Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Lynn, a former New Hampshire Supreme Court justice, told The Voice during the meeting that the "citizen" issue would be dealt with in an addendum to HB 1696 that is being crafted by him and Bickford.
The bill is scheduled to be voted on by the Judiciary Committee on Monday.
Bickford said it could come before a full vote in the House and Senate as soon as April.
To watch the live stream of the Judiciary Committee meeting click here.