(Evening Version) OFFICIAL GAZETTE Monday, May 04, 2015 EXECUTIVE BRANCH SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR DECREE by means of which the General Act of Transparency and Access to Public Information is issued. On the margin a seal with the national coat of arms, reading: United Mexican States.- Presidency of the Republic. ENRIQUE PEÑA NIETO, President of the United Mexican States, let it be known to its inhabitants: That the Honorable Congress of the Union has sent to me the following DECREE "THE GENERAL CONGRESS OF THE UNITED MEXICAN STATES DECREES: Single Article.- The General Act of Transparency and Access to Public Information is issued. GENERAL ACT OF TRANSPARENCY AND ACCESS TO PUBLIC INFORMATION TITLE ONE GENERAL PROVISIONS, Chapter I Purpose of the Law Article 1. This Act is of public order and generally observed throughout the Republic, it is regulation of Article 6th of the Constitution of the United Mexican States, on transparency and access to information. Its purpose is to establish the principles, general rules and procedures to ensure the right of access to information held by any authority, entity, body or agency of the Legislative, Executive and Judicial branches, autonomous bodies, political parties, trusts and public funds, as well as any individual, legal entity or union who receives and uses public resources or performs acts of authority of the Federation, the States and the municipalities. Article 2. The purposes of this Act are: I. Distribute powers between the Guarantor Agencies of the Federation and the Federal States, regarding transparency and access to information; II. Set the minimum basis governing the procedures in order to ensure the right of access to information; III. Establish consistent procedures and conditions in the exercise of the right of access to information through simple and expeditious procedures; IV. Govern the legal remedies and procedures for bringing actions of unconstitutionality and constitutional controversies by the Guarantor Agencies; V. Lay the foundations and public interest information to be disseminated proactively; VI. Regulate the organization and functioning of the National Transparency System, Access to Information and Protection of Personal Data, and establish the foundations of coordination among its members; VII. Promote, encourage and disseminate the culture of transparency in the exercise of public functions, access to information, public participation and accountability, through the establishment of public policies and mechanisms that ensure the publication of information that is timely, verifiable, understandable, current and complete, which is distributed in the most appropriate and accessible formats to the public and considering at all times the social, economic and cultural conditions of each region; VIII. Promote citizen participation in public decision-making in order to contribute to the consolidation of democracy, and IX. Establish mechanisms to ensure compliance and effective implementation of enforcement measures and relevant penalties.