As provided by Section 552.262 of the Texas Government Code, the State Office of Risk Management (SORM) follows the rules of the Office of the Attorney General for determining the charge, deposit or bond required for providing information. SORM’s current policy regarding charges for standard paper copies of records is as follows:
- Paper copies at $.10 per printed page
- $15 per hour for personnel time to locate, compile, and reproduce information
- Overhead charge of 20% of personnel time
- Actual charges for necessary postage or shipping
These charges represent the most common charges for copies of public information. Charges for personnel time and overhead apply only when a request includes copies of more than 50 pages.
SORM’s current policy regarding charges for electronic copies of records is as follows:
- CD-Rs and CD-RWs at $1.00 per CD
- $15 per hour for personnel time to locate, compile, and reproduce information
- $28.50 per hour for personnel time for programming and/or manipulation of data
- Overhead charge of 20% of personnel time
- Computer resource charge of $2.20 per clock hour (client/server) or $1.00 per clock hour (PC/LAN) to execute programs necessary to provide copies of information
Pursuant to Section 552.267(b) of the Texas Government Code, SORM waives charges that are less than $10.00. If estimated charges are between $10.00 and $40.00, the information is sent to the requestor along with an invoice requesting payment. If estimated charges are in excess of $40.00, an estimated invoice is sent and no copies are made until the requestor accepts and pays the charges. The request is automatically withdrawn if the requestor does not respond in writing to the estimated invoice within 10 business days. The requestor may ask to inspect documents, rather than receiving copies. Inspection of documents is encouraged to limit requestor costs by allowing selection of only those documents in which the requestor may truly interested, and additionally helps to conserve State’s resources by minimizing the number of copies made and the time spent compiling and making those copies.
SORM may waive any charges, at the discretion of SORM’s Executive Director or his/her designee, if SORM determines that a waiver or reduction of the charge is in the public interest. In addition to the waiver of all charges less than $10.00, other governmental bodies are generally not charged for information, unless the request requires programming, manipulation of data, or is particularly voluminous. Additionally, under Texas Government Code, Section 552.264, information requested by a member, agency, or committee to use for legislative purposes is provided free of charge. Further, SORM makes available to the public at no charge a large quantity of information on our website.
If you have any questions regarding this report or require additional information, please email us at SORMPublicRecords@sorm.texas.gov.