A Montanan's Guide to Federal and State Public Record Requests

The right to know takes different forms at different levels of government. At the federal level, the Freedom of Information Act gives citizens a way to request government records. In Montana, the right is built directly into the state constitution (the “right to know”) and spelled out in the Montana Public Records Act.

In this column, we explain both systems, how they compare, what information is requestable and where to start if you want to make your own request.

The Freedom of Information Act was passed by Congress in 1966. It establishes the right to request records from federal executive b...