AN ACT ESTABLISHING AN EXEMPTION FROM DISCLOSURE FOR CERTAIN HIGHER EDUCATION RECORDS PERTAINING TO TEACHING OR RESEARCH UNDER THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT.

SB 1226 exempts teaching and research records maintained by public higher education faculty or staff from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). It specifically covers records related to medical, artistic, scientific, legal, or scholarly work - including legal clinic materials - but explicitly excludes financial records of institutions. The bill amends FOIA to create this new exemption, effective July 1, 2025, with no fiscal impact on state or municipal budgets. This policy change directly affects public universities and their employees by limiting public access to certain academic and research-related documents.