I. POLICY:
Any public records request should be submitted in writing to the executive counsel, or in his/her absence, the executive director.

II. PURPOSE:
The purpose of this policy is to insure compliance with the Louisiana Public Records Law (La. R.S. 44:1 et seq.). All public records requests will be handled appropriately in a timely manner.

III. GUIDELINES:
Written public records requests may be submitted by any of the following means:

1. Fax:
   225.935.2864
2. Mail:
   Executive Counsel
   LASERS P.O. Box 44213
   Baton Rouge, LA 70804-4213
3. Hand Delivery or Express Mail:
   Executive Counsel
   LASERS
   8401 United Plaza Blvd., First Floor
   Baton Rouge, LA 70809

IV. PROCEDURE:
When a public records request is received by LASERS it shall be routed to the Legal Division. The Legal Division must respond to the request within 72 hours of receipt by LASERS of said request. The executive counsel shall notify the requesting party in writing if the requested information cannot be produced in the time frame provided for in the Public Records Law, and shall explain why it cannot be so produced, and provide an estimated date when the information shall be ready.

V. COST:
The production of a record, in response to a subpoena or otherwise, shall be at a cost of 25 cents a page for paper copies. Louisiana state agencies will not be billed for public records requests. If the requested information is electronic in nature the actual cost of the data retrieval shall be charged. The executive counsel shall provide an estimate of the retrieval costs prior to furnishing the data, but the requesting party shall be responsible for payment of actual costs. LASERS can receive funds only by personal check, money order, or cashier's check. A member or retiree of LASERS who requests copies from his or her file shall be entitled to 20 pages (letter or legal size) from that file without charge per request. After 20 pages the member or retiree will be billed at 25 cents per page. Multiple requests will be scrutinized to determine if a member or retiree is abusing this exception. Payments received for public records shall be processed by the Fiscal Division.

VI. CONFIDENTIALITY:
LASERS shall protect the confidentiality of the members or retirees and take the necessary steps to ensure that all checks and balances are followed before any information is disseminated.