House bill that gets rid of 'citizen' reference in 91-A moves on to Senate

Inset, Rochester Attorney Terence O'Rourke and City Manager Katie Ambrose (Courtesy live stream City of Rochester)

ROCHESTER - A bill that would force the City of Rochester to comply with digital requests from "any person" was passed by the New Hampshire House on Thursday.
House Bill 1069 which would allow "any person" to electronically request Right to Know documents from any public body without having to travel to city offices during regular business hours, as the City of Rochester now requires.
The bill along with its amendment - 0406 - also eliminates any reference to "citizen," a term Rochester officials have used to prevent The Rochester Voice from inspecting government documents to inform its readers on various issues.

The bill passed on the consent calendar by a voice vote and will now make its way to the Senate.
HB 1069 also enshrines the right of "any person" to request and receive government documents digitally, without having to show up in person at government agencies during regular business hours as has been previously required by the City of Rochester.
The only exceptions to digital delivery are if the files are not stored digitally by the public body or if there are cybersecurity issues with digital delivery.
The bill also states that no charge can be made for delivery of electron records.
Judiciary Committee Chair and former New Hampshire Supreme Court Chief Justice Bob Lynn last month expressed his incredulity that the City of Rochester would deny The Rochester Voice Right to Know documents because its editor, Harrison Thorp, is not a citizen of New Hampshire.
"That strikes me as incredible, that is amazing someone would take that position," he said during a public hearing.
Both Rochester City Attorney Terence O'Rourke and Rochester City Manager Katie Ambrose remain committed to denying The Rochester Voice the protections of 91-A, including refusing to respond to Right to Know requests within five business days.
Meanwhile, the City of Rochester's appeal of the state's Right to Know Ombudsman's decision on a complaint brought by The Rochester Voice continues at Strafford Superior Court.
A hearing on the merits awaits scheduling following a request for a continuance by O'Rourke.
The Senate could take up HB 1069 as early as next month.