Meet Lonny Pehrson, Director of the Government Records Office

The Utah State Archives is excited to welcome Lonny Pehrson as the new Director of the Government Records Office! In this role, Lonny will oversee the daily operations of the Government Records Office, adjudicate GRAMA (Government Records Access and Management Act) appeals hearings, supervise the Government Records Ombudsman and staff, and serve as a key resource on records access and

After more than three decades of service, the State Records Committee (SRC) is coming to a close. Established in 1992 when Governor Norm Bangerter signed the Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA) into law, the SRC has played a vital role in interpreting GRAMA and shaping access to government records in Utah. The Formation of the Committee (1992) The

Last year was an exceptionally busy year for the State Records Committee! In 2024, the committee received approximately 260 appeals and issued 85 Decisions and Orders. Additionally, 65 appeals were withdrawn before a hearing because they were resolved through mediation, thanks to the hard work of the Government Records Ombudsman, Monica Minaya! 2024 Charts Most of the requesters who appealed were members of

In the 2024 session, the Utah Legislature made several updates to the Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA). Here are the highlights.  Representative Loubet sponsored HB 266 which updates the Government Records Ombudsman statute and the GRAMA appeals process to include the Ombudsman. This bill also removed the State Records Committee from being a necessary party to a petitioner

Another legislative session has come to a close. As we all catch our breath, here are a few updates that impact GRAMA, Archives, and Records Management, that you may find interesting. The last day for the Governor to sign or veto bills is the 23rd of March. Any bill that does not have a specified effective date will go into

Last year was an exceptionally busy year for the State Records Committee! In 2022, the committee received approximately 260 appeals and issued 61 Decisions and Orders. 68 appeals were withdrawn before the hearing because they were resolved in mediation, thanks to the hard work by our State Ombudsman Rosemary Cundiff! 2022 Charts Most of the requesters who appeal to the

Government records are the property of the state (Utah Code 63A-12-105(1)). The public has a right to open and fair access to records that are classified as public. At the Utah Division of Archives and Records Service, we take transparency very seriously. Our Open Government team maintains two important websites for the state of Utah: the Utah Public Notice Website,

In the 2022 session, the Utah Legislature made several updates to the Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA). Here are the highlights.  Representative Dan Johnson sponsored House Bill 96 which contains two significant changes. First, it defines a media representative as “a person who requests a record to obtain information for a story or report for publication or broadcast

This blog post was written by Becky Wright who is an Archivist with the Davis County Clerk and Auditor’s Office. This is the first in a series of blog posts she authored in celebration of Sunshine Week. Sunshine Week is a nation-wide initiative promoting open government and access to public information. To read the other blog posts, check out the

As 2021 comes to a close, we wanted to share what the State Records Committee (SRC) has been up to this year. The Committee met electronically through May. In June, we started meeting in person again at the Taylorsville State Office Building, but virtual attendance was still an option for anyone attending. Going forward, meetings will always have an option