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2016-2017 Annual Report Op. Ind. Att'y Gen. [i] (2016-2017)

handle is hein.sag/sagin0136 and id is 1 raw text is: ANNUAL REPORT OF THE INDIANA PUBLIC ACCESS COUNSELOR To the Indiana General Assembly July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017 Pursuant to Ind. Code § 5-14-4-12, the Indiana Public Access Counselor (PAC) hereby submits this annual report of activities for the time period covering July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017.1 This report is presented in three parts: in Part I a narrative summary of the activities of the PAC; in Part II the information required to be submitted pursuant to Ind. Code § 5-14-4- 12; and in Part III appendices listing presentations given and advisory opinions issued in the past year. PART I Annual Report Narrative Mission The Public Access Counselor provides advice and assistance concerning Indiana's public access laws to members of the public and government officials and their employees. Vision The Office of the Public Access Counselor is dedicated to carrying out its mission by employing the following philosophy: A fundamental philosophy of the American constitutional form of representative government is that government is the servant of the people and not their master. Accordingly, it is the public policy of the state that all persons are entitled to full and complete information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those who represent them as public officials and employees. Providing persons with the information is an essential function of a representative government and an integral part of the routine duties of public officials and employees, whose duty it is to provide the information. This chapter shall be liberally construed to implement this policy and place the burden of proof for the nondisclosure of a public record on the public agency that would deny access to the record and not on the person seeking to inspect and copy the record. -Indiana Code § 5-14-3-1 through 5-14-3-10 ...It is the intent of this chapter that the official action of public agencies be conducted and taken openly, unless otherwise expressly provided by statute, in order that the people may be fully informed... -Indiana Code 5-14-1.5-1. 1 All data were compiled as of 5:00 p.m. on Friday, June 30, 2017.