SC House approves strengthening open records law

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The South Carolina House has approved a bill strengthening the state’s open records law.

The bill approved Thursday limits how much public bodies can charge for copies of documents and requires them to respond more quickly. An amendment also removes legislators’ exemption from the law.

Rep. Bill Taylor says agencies shouldn’t be allowed to charge excessive fees for public records. The bill limits charges for paper copies to the market rate. The Aiken Republican also says allowing 15 days to respond to a request is plenty of time.

An amendment by Rep. Rick Quinn made legislators’ memos and correspondence subject to Freedom of Information Act requests. The Lexington Republican says legislators should not exempt themselves from the law.

Some worry Quinn’s change will kill the bill’s chances in the Senate.