Tenn. Gov. updates open-records law.

In June, Gov. Phil Bredesen signed an update to Tennessee's open-records law that for the first time created deadlines for records custodians to respond to requests.

Under the new provisions that went into effect July 1, records officials will have seven days to respond to requests or to explain why they need more time. The previous law did not indude a deadline for responding to records requests.

The new law is the result of an open government initiative after the 2005 "Tennessee Waltz" corruption sting that led to convictions of five former state lawmakers. For the full story, visit www.firstamendmentcenter.org/news.as px?id=20202.