Reclaim New York Initiative Cheers Signing of Bill Strengthening Access to Public Records

Reclaim New York Initiative executive director Brandon Muir offered the following statement on the Governor’s signing of legislation into law that requires legal fees be reimbursed when plaintiffs “substantially prevail” in lawsuits over wrongful denial of Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests:

“This is a big win for citizen-driven transparency, and the fight against public corruption in New York.

“We applaud Governor Cuomo for signing this bill, and for urging lawmakers to further strengthen this key transparency law by making it apply more fully to the state legislature.

“No New Yorker should be forced to pay thousands of dollars in legal expenses just to get public records. The barrier of legal costs is being rightfully weakened. We look forward to working with people across the state and public officials to create the transparent and open government New Yorkers deserve.”