To educate and inform newly-elected and appointed officials about the state’s Access to Public Records Act (APRA) and Open Meetings Act (OMA), Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin will once again lead an “Open Government 101” summit. The “101” summit will be held on Thursday, Jan. 15 at the Community College of Rhode Island Warwick campus, from 9 a.m. to noon.

“Accessibility and transparency were hallmark slogans of this year’s political campaigns. For those who were elected to serve locally or statewide, it is important to live up to those promises. Understanding our open government statutes is a critical first step to keeping the public’s trust and to engage the citizenry,” Kilmartin said. “The goals of the APRA and the OMA are to ensure that government is conducted in an open manner and subject to public oversight. I strongly believe that we achieve open government through education and open dialogue, as opposed to waiting for problems to arise and then punishing mistakes. The Summit 101 is an important part of this education and discussion strategy.”

The program will commence with remarks by Kilmartin. Assistant Attorney General Michael W. Field, chief of the Open Government Unit, and Special Assistant Attorney General Lisa Pinsonneault will follow with a presentation explaining the statutory requirements of APRA and OMA.

Attorneys will provide an overview of the APRA and will highlight how to determine whether a document is a public record, how to respond to a public record request and how to establish guidelines for public access. The OMA portion of the presentation will highlight how to determine when the OMA applies and when an executive session is appropriate, posting notices, amending agendas and maintaining minutes, as well as a review of frequent trouble areas. The event will close with a Q&A session.

The program meets the training and certification requirements under the Access to Public Records Act. For employees newly appointed to handle APRA requests for their respective public bodies, the rules and regulations require certification within one month of being appointed to that position. The certification will be valid for 2015.

Space is limited, and individuals who would like to attend the Open Government 101 must register with the Office of Attorney General. To register, call 274-4400, ext. 2101 or email agsummit@riag.ri.gov.

Fully embracing the idea of accessible government, Kilmartin is once again partnering with ClerkBase to stream the presentation live through the attorney general’s website, www.riag.ri.gov.

Individuals may submit questions in advance that will be answered during the Q&A portion of the Summit at agsummit@riag.ri.gov. Check-in takes place from 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.

An agenda and documents for the event will be available on the Attorney General’s website at www.riag.ri.gov.