Secretary of State Kemp Announces Reduced Public Hours at Georgia Archives

Atlanta – Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp announced today that effective July 1, 2011, public hours at the Georgia Archives in Morrow will be reduced from three days to two days each week. The Archives will be open to the public Fridays and Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Secretary Kemp also informed state legislators and state agency directors that response time to their requests will be extended from the current five business days to 10 business days. These changes are attributed to reductions in the Archives’ fiscal year 2012 budget.

Secretary Kemp stated, “Though we regret any reduction in access to the Georgia Archives by members of the public, state legislators or state agency employees, we must carefully manage our reduced resources to focus on the Archives Division’s top priority: identification and preservation of the records that protect Georgia’s legal and financial rights.”

In addition to cutbacks in hours of operation and increased response time for records requests, since 2008, the Georgia Archives has cut its staff from 55 employees to 23 to meet required budget reductions.

Brian Kemp has been Secretary of State since January, 2010. Among the office’s wide-ranging responsibilities, the Secretary of State is charged with conducting efficient and secure elections, the registration of corporations, and the regulation of securities and professional license holders. The office also oversees the Georgia Archives and the Capitol Museum.

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