DENVER (AP) -- State agencies under the control of Gov. John Hickenlooper are now being required to charge $20 or more per hour for records requests that take more than two hours to address.

They're also charging 25 cents a page for any records of more than 25 pages.

The governor's spokesman, Eric Brown, says the guidelines were adopted late last year to ensure all state agencies are being consistent. The fees are allowed by state law, but they were not always enforced.

Opponents say the new policy is open to abuse, allowing some state agencies to conduct unnecessary searches to make the costs prohibitive and stifle criticism.

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