The guys over at Capital Confidential (Capcon) claim the state Public Employment Relations Board is charging a fee to citizens who submit a Freedom of Information Request (FOI) via email. Here’s what Capcon had to say:

Here’s an interesting item from my colleague Jordan Carleo-Evangelist who was a bit surprised to find that the state Public Employment Relations Board charged him a dollar to respond to an electronic e-mail request.

Unfortunately, the Public Employee Relations Board (PERB) has clearly erred. Based on the info in the Capcon story, PERB may not charge a fee for a freedom of information submitted via email. Given the whole idea behind submitting FOIL request through email is to provide greater public access to Government records, it is absurd for PERB to place a hurdle in the FOIL process.

In any event, the NYS Committee on Open Government, the state agency authorized to issue advisory opinions on the FOI laws, had this to say about email FOIL requests:

it is our opinion that because sending a record electronically does not involve a storage medium, no fee can be charged.

If I were Mr. Carleo-Evangelist, I would be asking for my dollar back.

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3. Lack of support for Universal, Single-payer, Health Care reform will cost Senators dearly.
4. Project Sunlight
5. Who do ya love? (It can cost you)