Open Government The Open Meetings Act (OMA) and the Access to Public Records Act (APRA) establish important requirements for ensuring that government in Rhode Island is carried out in an open and transparent manner. Our open government team: Investigates complaints against public bodies in Rhode Island for alleged violations of these statutes Issues findings and files lawsuits to enforce the statutes when appropriate Processes APRA requests to this Office for public documents Provides training and resources on the requirements of the OMA and the APRA, including at our signature event, the annual Open Government Summit Access and search open government findings Search APRA and OMA findings on our database powered by Clerkbase. Access and search open government findings Access training resources and APRA certification Access helpful training resources (guides, videos, and more) and what you need to earn you annual APRA certification. Access training resources and APRA certification Open Government Summit File a complaint with the RIAG alleging violation of APRA/OMA File a complaint with our open government team if you believe a public body has violated the OMA or the APRA. You can submit a complaint by sending a brief statement, along with any relevant information and documents, to opengovernment@riag.ri.gov, or mail to: Attn: Open Government Unit Rhode Island Office of the Attorney General 150 South Main Street Providence, RI 02903 Make an APRA request for records maintained by our Office Learn how to request public records maintained by the Office of the Attorney General. Guidelines for your request If you are seeking public documents maintained by the Office of the Attorney General, you can submit an Access to Public Records Act request by following the guidelines below. Note: Our response will only pertain to documents maintained by the Office of the Attorney General. If you are seeking documents from a different state entity or public body, you should submit your request directly to that entity or public body. APRA guidelines (download) Submitting your request After you have reviewed our guidelines for submitting an APRA request for records maintained by our Office, submit your request by mail, hand delivery, email, or through our online request form. Annual reports Access annual reports from our open government team. Annual reports 2023 Open Government Annual Report PDF file, less than 1mbmegabytes 2022 Open Government Annual Report PDF file, about 7mbmegabytes 2021 Open Government Annual Report PDF file, less than 1mbmegabytes 2020 Open Meetings Act Annual Report PDF file, about 9mbmegabytes 2019 Open Meetings Act Annual Report PDF file, less than 1mbmegabytes 2018 Open Meetings Act Annual Report PDF file, less than 1mbmegabytes 2017 Open Meetings Act Annual Report PDF file, about 22mbmegabytes 2016 Open Meetings Act Annual Report PDF file, about 3mbmegabytes 2015 Open Meetings Act Annual Report PDF file, about 6mbmegabytes 2014 Open Meetings Act Annual Report PDF file, less than 1mbmegabytes 2013 Open Meetings Act Annual Report PDF file, about 5mbmegabytes 2012 Open Meetings Act Annual Report PDF file, about 11mbmegabytes 2011 Open Meetings Act Annual Report PDF file, about 14mbmegabytes AG Guidance Below you will find a library of guidances issued by the Office of the Attorney General pertaining to open government. Guidance on Public Bodies Returning to In-Person Meetings and Remote Public Participation in Open Meetings: Pursuant to the Open Meetings Act, this guidance clarifies that members of the public body must attend meetings in person, members of the public must be permitted to attend open meetings in person, public bodies may livestream their meetings to the public, and public bodies may permit members of the public to participate remotely in open meetings. Guidance for Convening into Executive Session: This guidance advises that public bodies may only enter into executive (closed) session for limited, specific reasons and are subject to certain requirements when they do so. Some of the most common purposes for entering executive session, and the steps necessary to go from an open meeting to an executive session, are explained in the guidance.