FREEDOM OF INFORMATION COMMISSION

OF THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT

In the Matter of a Complaint by FINAL DECISION

Leo Patenaude

Complainant Docket #FIC85-190

against July 9, 1986

Unemployment Compensation Division of the Department of Labor of the State of Connecticut

Respondent

The above captioned matter was heard as a contested case on December 3, 1985 at which time the complainant and the respondent appeared and presented testimony, exhibits and argument on the complaint.

After consideration of the entire record the following facts are found:

1. The respondent is a public agency within the ,meaning of section 1-18a(a), G.S.

2. By letter filed with the Commission August 27, 1985 the complainant alleged that the respondent violated the Freedom of Information Act in various ways.

3. Both the complaint, which was filed with the Commission, and the requests for records, which were filed with the respondent, were so disorganized, rambling and unfocused that it was difficult to understand what the complainant was seeking.

4. At hearing the complaint was clarified by teh complainant so as to alllege that form 177 was not provided to him promptly, that form 789 was altered illegally by the respondent, and that certain rules of the respondent were not provided in response to his August 19, 1985 letter.

5. It is found that a copy of form 789, which had been filled out by the complainant and filed in the files of the respondent, was xeroxed in early 1985 by the respondent in a way to omit a portion of the form.

6. The omission of material in the copy provided caused the complainant to conclude that the form itself was ilegally altered.

Docket #FIC85-190 page two

7. It is found that form 789 was not altered by the respondent.

8. The rules sought by the complainant did not exist.

9. On August 8, 1985, the day the complainant requested a copy of form 177, the respondent was unable to find the form.

10. Form 177 was subsequently provided in October after the respondent was notified of the FOI complaint filed by the complainant.

11. It is found that the copy of form 177 was not provided to the complainant promptly as required by 1-15, G.S.

The following order by the Commission is hereby recommended on the basis of the record concerning the above captioned complaint.

1. The respondent shall henceforth comply promptly with the requirements of 1-15, G.S.

2. The Commission suggests that the complainant would find much greater coopperation and get quicker results if he would write his FIO requests clearly and learn to omit material which is irrelevant to those requests.

Approved by order of the Freedom of Information Commission at its regular meeting of July 9, 1986.