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 Charge Policy is as follows:
- Paper copies are $.10/per printed page;
- $15/hour personnel time to compile and copy;
- $28.50/hour computer programming personnel time;
- Overhead charge of 20% of personnel time;
- Postage charges via first class mail;
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 The request is automatically withdrawn if the requestor does not respond in writing to the estimated invoice within 10 business days.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.