§ 16-4-201 — Definitions; short title; designation of ombudsman

(a) As used in this act:
(i) "Custodian" means the official custodian or any
authorized person having personal custody and control of the
public records in question;
(ii) "Official custodian" means any officer or
employee of a governmental entity, who is responsible for the
maintenance, care and keeping of public records, regardless of
whether the records are in his actual personal custody and
control;
(iii) "Person in interest" means the person who is
the subject of a record or any representative designated by the
person, except if the subject of the record is under legal
disability or is the dependent high school student of his
parents, "person in interest" means the parent or duly appointed
legal representative;
(iv) "Political subdivision" means every county, city
and county, city, incorporated and unincorporated town, school
district and special district within the state;
(v) "Public records" when not otherwise specified
includes any information in a physical form created, accepted,
or obtained by a governmental entity in furtherance of its
official function and transaction of public business which is
not privileged or confidential by law. Without limiting the
foregoing, the term "public records" includes any written
communication or other information, whether in paper,
electronic, or other physical form, received by a governmental
entity in furtherance of the transaction of public business of
the governmental entity, whether at a meeting or outside a
meeting. Electronic communications solely between students
attending a school in Wyoming and electronic communications
solely between students attending a school in Wyoming and a
sender or recipient using a nonschool user address are not a
public record of that school. As used in this paragraph, a
"school in Wyoming" means the University of Wyoming, any
community college and any public school within a school district
in the state;
(vi) Public records shall be classified as follows:
(A) "Official public records" includes all
original vouchers, receipts and other documents necessary to
isolate and prove the validity of every transaction relating to
the receipt, use and disposition of all public property and
public income from all sources whatsoever; all agreements and
contracts to which a governmental entity is a party; all
fidelity, surety and performance bonds; all claims filed against
a governmental entity; all records or documents required by law
to be filed with or kept by a governmental entity of Wyoming;
and all other documents or records determined by the records
committee to be official public records;
(B) "Office files and memoranda" includes all
records, correspondence, exhibits, books, booklets, drawings,
maps, blank forms, or documents not defined and classified in
subparagraph (A) of this subsection as official public records;
all duplicate copies of official public records filed with any
governmental entity; all documents and reports made for the
internal administration of the office to which they pertain but
not required by law to be filed or kept with the office; and all
other documents or records, determined by the records committee
to be office files and memoranda.
(vii) Repealed By Laws 2012, Ch. 74, § 2.
(viii) "This act" means W.S. 16-4-201 through
16-4-205;
(ix) "Application" means a written request for a
public record. However, a designated public records person may
in his discretion deem a verbal request to be an application;
(x) "Information" means opinions, facts, or data of
any kind and in whatever physical form kept or maintained,
including, but not limited to, written, aural, visual,
electronic or other physical form;
(xi) "Peace officer recording" means any audio or
video data recorded by a peace officer, as defined in W.S.
6-1-104(a)(vi), on a camera or other device which is:
(A) Provided to or used by the peace officer in
the course of the officer performing official business; and
(B) Designed to be worn on the peace officer's
body or attached to a vehicle, as defined in W.S.
6-1-104(a)(xi), used by the officer.
(xii) "Designated public records person" means the
person designated as required by W.S. 16-4-202(e) or that
person's designee;
(xiii) "Governmental entity" means the state of
Wyoming, an agency, political subdivision or state institution
of Wyoming;
(xiv) "Ombudsman" means the person designated by the
governor as required by subsection (c) of this section.
(b) This act shall be known and may be cited as the
"Public Records Act."
(c) The governor shall designate an ombudsman for purposes
of this act. The ombudsman shall:
(i) Receive complaints as provided under this act;
(ii) Upon request of either party, mediate disputes
between a governmental entity and an applicant for a public
record;
(iii) Keep confidential all records submitted by a
governmental entity;
(iv) Provide uniform interpretation and training on
the ombudsman's role and recommendations under this act to
governmental entities and the general public;
(v) Have other authority and duties as provided in
this act.