Michigan Senator Roger Victory recently introduced a bill that would remove all fees for public records requests if the requester picks them up. Under this change, agencies could only charge if the request causes them unavoidable overtime.

Under Michigan’s current law, agencies can charge fees for “searching for, locating, and examining of public records” as well as for segregation and duplication. Victory’s bill was sent to the state’s Committee on Regulatory Affairs in September.

Fees vary widely across the U.S., and have led to significant barriers for requesters, deterring average people. And yet, fees recoup very little of the cost of records management (less than 1%). Agencies in some states charge fees more than a quarter of the time (Oregon 29% of the time, averaging $1,073).

At minimum, public-interest requests should be charged no fees, argues Virginia Hamrick, who now serves as a Local Legal Initiative attorney in Louisiana for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

Posted: October 30, 2026
Category: Brechner News
Tagged as: Secrecy Tracker