there are many degrees of accessibility to public records between states, with some making it fairly easy to request and receive documents, and others with many exemptions and restricted categories of documents. one state that is fairly responsive to public records requests is new york, which utilizes the committee on open government to assist citizens with their requests. a state that was fairly restrictive in how they respond to public records requests is pennsylvania, where the law formerly presumed that all documents are exempt from disclosure, unless they can be proven otherwise. this was changed by a 2008 bill that went into effect in 2009.. the california public records act ("california government code" §§6250-6276.48) covers the arrest and booking records of inmates in the state of california jails and prisons, which are not covered by first amendment rights (freedom of speech and of the press). public access to arrest and booking records is seen as a critical safeguard of liberty.