Increasingly, agencies are looking at ways to put government records online. All states now offer some type of information through the Internet.

In Maine, nearly all business records of the Secretary of State are available online, along with all state regulations, statutes and legislative information on the state’s Web site.

California has made all state statutes, the constitution and current legislative information available in electronic form over the Internet. Many other states offer full-text legislative information through the Internet without usage fees.

In November 2002, the South Dakota Supreme Court began broadcasting live and archived arguments on the Web.

Tennessee’s legislature gave a committee “exclusive authority” to approve “direct access” to the legislature’s computer system, but only if “protection of any confidential information is ensured.”

Florida allows any records custodian to permit “remote electronic access to public records” but permits an agency to charge special fees for access.

Many state agencies offer online access to information, although there is no specific statute that sets up the service. For example, Montana runs a legislative information service similar to California’s. The main difference is that California’s system is established by law. Montana’s is not.

Increasingly, courts are putting information online as well. Of those that make information available electronically, some provide free Web-based services; others have fee-based services.

U.S. Supreme Court cases are available online, as are those from a variety of other jurisdictions, although the amount of material varies. The federal PACER system allows subscribers to access docket information for a fee. In some jurisdictions, the courts, in concert with law schools or universities, make opinions, orders and rules available on the Internet.

From May 2001 and June 2002, an advisory panel created by the National Center for State Courts met to study access to electronic court records and develop model guidelines to be applied to state court systems.

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press released a detailed analysis of the proposed model guidelines, which is available online.