Law new is a concept that all legal firms today need to embrace. The use of this approach enables them to offer the help that some clients need without impacting areas of practice that might otherwise be their primary focus. In addition, working closely with new law techniques allows them to develop a new source of income for their firms. It’s a very valuable way to expand the range of services that they can provide for their clients and one well worth exploring.

The public’s right to know the process of governmental decision-making and to review the documents and statistics leading to those decisions is basic to our society. The people should not be thwarted in their attempt to do so by shrouding government decisions in secrecy. This is why the legislature has created this article to ensure that the public can obtain, upon request, copies of records of any agency, board, bureau, division or council of the state or any public corporation the majority of whose members are appointed by the governor. The term “agency” is defined as any department, board, bureau, division or council of a city, town, village or school district and any committees and subcommittees thereof that conduct public business and perform a governmental function for such entity.

The legislation includes a requirement that agencies notify the public, upon request, of any fees charged for providing copies of records and the purpose for which such charges are imposed. Additionally, it requires an agency to establish guidelines for the deletion of identifying details from records that are made available to prevent unwarranted invasions of personal privacy. It also makes it clear that an agency may not deny access, pursuant to the remainder of this article, to any record except one that is protected from disclosure by section eighty-seven of this chapter. The law is named for Matthew Horan, who died of an accidental fentanyl overdose in 2020. It’s hoped that by making life-saving drug testing resources more accessible, the state can reduce the number of accidental deaths from overdoses and other types of drug adulteration. The bill is a part of a broader package of legislation to tackle the opioid and overdose crisis that will be introduced this year. It also includes proposals to help college students stay safer by combating hate speech and bias-related incidents.