Government records council the grc
Posted by AF under government records
The GRC, or 'Government Records Council', is an agency that applies its efforts to enacting the OPRA, or the 'Open Public Records Act' and making it work for the people concerned. They were created under the OPRA, and handle the inquiries as well as complaints that come in from the public and from public records workers. They're involved in solving disputes whenever they arise in concern with access being gained to government records.Other functions of the government records council are delivering training about the law, and issuing public information about the law, and also about the services it provides. The council can provide mediation if necessary whenever disputes arise, and they can issue advisory type opinions on government records accessibility. The premise that this agency was founded on started off in a good light, but for some has turned into more of a pain than an asset. It simply hasn't lived up to expectations, and many concerned citizens believe we were better off without it.It's believed by some that the government records council, which was created in 2002 for policing the OPRA, is just another example of ineffectual state agencies. While it shows promise and is good in theory, it also reaches a point of being a type of bureaucracy that gives private citizens pause about filing complaints. This is due to some of the 'confounding' decisions in which they have displayed shocking judgement. Their unwillingness to take action against errant record keepers is one area that concerns the general public. Their seemingly 'secretive' ways in dealing with the records reminds the citizens all too often of our federal government, who most find to be corrupt and untruthful.When you hear the words 'government records council', you think of an agency that should be smooth and accurate in its operation. But nothing could be farther from the truth in this case. Scores and scores of mistakes and dereliction from records keepers has made the whole thing a mockery. They make use of legal language which is too hard to understand, and instead of opening up the doors to public information, it closes the door. The quality of their decisions is forever suspect. Trust is broken, faith is lost, and chaos rules the day. Public citizens shun agencies that operate in such a fashion, and will avoid using them altogether.The government records council may have begun in good faith, but just like many other government programs, the operation's effectiveness seems to get lost in the decision making. Bad, and sometimes 'shocking' jugdement, is something we've almost grown used to from the federal government in Washington, and now it seems we have the same feel from agencies on this level as well. No accountability, that's the root of the problem. When a private citizen makes a mistake, they're made to pay and correct the problem, when the bureaucracy makes a mistake, silence and diversion is what you meet head-on.
Published on February 2012 Read more...