Richard Karpel This opinion column was submitted by Richard Karpel, executive director of the Nevada Press Association. One of the virtues of Assembly Bill 276 is its simplicity. In a mere 22 words, it triples the damages government agencies are required to pay citizens who prevail in public records lawsuits. AB 276 is necessary because Nevada's Public Records Act doesn't always provide requestors with the tools they need to compel government officials to follow the law and release government records that rightfully belong to us — the public. If a government agency denies a request, citizen-requestors have only one way to fight back: to file an expensive lawsuit that can cost six figures and take years to prosecute.