Journalist facing fines urges press to protect 1st Amendment
Associated Press • May 10, 2008
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A former USA Today reporter facing fines for failing to reveal her sources for stories about the 2001 anthrax attacks said Saturday that news organizations need to go on the offensive in the fight to protect the First Amendment. "As we all know, the news business is on a collective nervous breakdown," Toni Locy told a coalition of open-government and press groups. "It's time to stop running. It's time to turn and fight. If we don't fight for the First Amendment, who will?"→ READ MORE
Ex-reporter: Journalists must better explain 'secretocracy'
Associated Press • May 9, 2008
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Journalists need to do a better job of explaining to readers why they should be concerned about expanding "secretocracy" in government and how it directly affects their lives, a former investigative reporter told a coalition of open government and press groups Friday.→ READ MORE
Opinion: State bill to create a budget Web site
would give taxpayers true transparency
The Morning Call • May 7, 2008
The concept behind a measure being considered in the Pennsylvania Senate today is straight-forward. Since taxpayers and paying the bills, they should be able to see where the money goes. Senate Bill 1350 would direct the state Office of Budget to create a searchable, free Web site to allow them to do just that. The bipartisan effort, known as the PA Taxpayer Transparency Act, was introduced early last month. → READ MORE
Attorney, former journalist to head Pa. open records office
Associated Press • April 24, 2008
HARRISBURG (AP) — A journalist-turned-lawyer who has helped Illinois citizens gain access to government records will oversee Pennsylvania's new open-records law. Gov. Ed Rendell appointed Terry Mutchler to be the executive director of Pennsylvania's new Office of Open Records on Thursday.→ READ MORE
Office of Open Records: Illinois woman gets state post
The Patriot-News • April 24, 2008
HARRISBURG — A woman who has been in the vanguard of Illinois' movement to open up state and local governments there is coming to Pennsylvania to take up a similar challenge. Terry Mutchler, 42, was selected by Gov. Ed Rendell to serve a six-year term as the first executive director of the state's new Office of Open Records. She is to start in early June and earn a $120,000 annual salary. → READ MORE
Gov. Rendell appoints executive director
of new Office of Open Records
News release • April 24, 2008
HARRISBURG — Governor Edward G. Rendell today announced the appointment of Terry Mutchler, a lawyer and former Capitol newsroom correspondent, as executive director of Pennsylvania's new Office of Open Records. "Terry brings the ideal combination of knowledge and experience to her new role as executive director of the office, and I am very pleased to welcome her back to Pennsylvania," the governor said. → READ MORE
Legislative leaders keep expense records secret
The Patriot-News • April 10, 2008
HARRISBURG — Even with a calculator, it is time-consuming and tedious to figure out how much state legislators charge to taxpayers for expense accounts. → READ MORE
Pa. Gaming Control Board says
it wants to rebuff claims it is secretive
The Associated Press • April 10, 2008
HARRISBURG (AP) — Seeking to counter criticism that they are too secretive, state gambling regulators said Thursday they approved a change to the casino licensing process to allow public disclosure of as much information about an applicant as possible under the law. → READ MORE
Draft policy on access to court records raises papers' concerns
The Associated Press • April 6, 2008
HARRISBURG (AP) — Public access advocates have barely had time to catch their collective breath following the all-out push that led to passage in February of landmark changes to Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know Law. Now they are facing a new front in their campaign to protect people's right to learn what their government is up to. → READ MORE
Exeter posting meeting videos on township's Web site
Reading Eagle • April 5, 2008
HARRISBURG — People interested in Exeter Township government have another option for staying informed if they can't attend supervisors meetings. Exeter is posting video of the meetings on the township Web site. → READ MORE
Ex-reporter involved in sources dispute
to speak at FOIC conference
The Associated Press • March 13, 2008
A former USA Today reporter held in contempt for not revealing her sources for stories about the 2001 anthrax attacks will give the keynote address at the National Freedom of Information Summit being held in Philadelphia on May 9-10. The conference is being hosted by the National Freedom of Information Coalition and the Pennsylvania Freedom of Information Coalition. → READ MORE
Williams Twp. suit alleges secret meetings
The Morning Call • Feb. 19, 2008
Ten Williams Township residents have sued the three township supervisors and township solicitor, claiming they violating the state open meetings law by privately discussing a proposed landfill expansion compromise. → READ MORE
Commentary: Two major state government reforms
are underrated, laudable
Capitolwire • Feb. 18, 2008
HARRISBURG — What does the recently-enacted Open Records Law have in common with Gov. Ed Rendell's stalled second-term policy agenda? Both are testaments to the power of reform and the sheer amount of reform that has taken place in state government. → READ MORE
Commentary: Open records bill one leg of the race
The Intelligencer • Feb. 18, 2008
Pennsylvania residents interested in an ethical renaissance in state government should be asking a question of state lawmakers and Gov. Ed Rendell after the enactment of a long-awaited open records bill on Thursday. "Hey guys, you finally stopped resisting giving taxpayers a peek at records showing how government spends their money, what's next on the reform agenda?" → READ MORE
Tribune-Review: Cloudy sunshine
Opinion • Feb. 17, 2008
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania's new open-records law is being hailed as a brilliant beacon that will far outshine the old law. That won't be difficult considering the state hasn't changed the "bulb" for 50 years. The real test comes next year when the law takes effect and the first appeals are filed for government records. Access and expediency will determine its superiority or mediocrity. But there are reasons for reservations: → READ MORE
Observer-Reporter: A historic victory on open records
Opinion • Feb. 17, 2008
As of the first of next year, Pennsylvania will have a new open records law. Not every aspect of the law is perfect, but it makes historic changes to a system that has been arguably the worst in the country. → READ MORE
Delaware Valley Times:
Pa. open-records law was worth the wait
Opinion • Feb. 17, 2008
It took 51 years to update, but after 13 months of legislative wrangling, opening up records in Pennsylvania took a step forward last Thursday. → READ MORE
Open records law puts onus on agencies
Post-Gazette • Feb. 16, 2008
HARRISBURG — Four months, $100 worth of long-distance phone calls, meetings with an attorney and, finally, the intervention of then-House Speaker John Perzel's office. That's what it took for Maya Patch to obtain copies of her local sewer authority's spending records a few years ago. On Thursday, Gov. Ed Rendell signed a law, long in the works, to make government records more accessible. It creates the presumption that a government record is open unless the agency proves it meets specific exemptions. → READ MORE
Open-records law is official:
How would it affect you?
Patriot-News • Feb. 15, 2008
HARRISBURG — Gov. Ed Rendell signed into law Thursday the first major overhaul of the state's open-records law in 51 years. It takes effect on Jan. 1 and strengthens what was ranked as one of the weakest open-records laws in the nation. How could it affect you? Here's a look at several scenarios in which a business or resident might have a problem that can be solved using public records and how the new law would address that issue. → READ MORE
Times-Tribune: Access law good but still not best
Opinion • Feb. 15, 2008
HARRISBURG — After years of prodding, Pennsylvania's Legislature this week finally approved a new open-records law that substantially improves access to public information. On balance the bill is a significant boost to open government. By failing to comprehensively ensure openness, however, the Legislature also has ensured that the fight for openness will have to continue. → READ MORE
Tribune-Democrat: Open records law big step in ongoing process
Opinion • Feb. 15, 2008
HARRISBURG — Our leaders in Harrisburg took an important step last week toward what we hope will be an era of broad reform in state government. The General Assembly passed Senate Bill 1 – which overhauls the state's open records law – and the governor signed the legislation on Thursday. → READ MORE
Pa.'s new open-records law praised
Inquirer • Feb. 15, 2008
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania may still not be among the best, but it certainly is no longer one of the worst. That, at least, was the assessment of experts on open-records legislation following the Pennsylvania legislature's passage of such a bill earlier this week. Gov. Rendell signed the legislation in a ceremony yesterday outside his office. → READ MORE
Governor signs open records law
Post-Gazette • Feb. 15, 2008
HARRISBURG — It's rare that a freshman legislator makes a mark in Harrisburg, but Gov. Ed Rendell and legislative leaders are praising the efforts of Rep. Tim Mahoney in pushing for a new open records law. Amid a bipartisan group of legislators, Mr. Rendell yesterday signed Senate Bill 1, the first substantive change in the state's open records law in over 50 years. → READ MORE
Rendell signs open records bill,
puts his agenda ahead of other reforms
Capitolwire • Feb. 14, 2008
HARRISBURG — Shortly before signing a bill Thursday overhauling the state's open records law, Gov. Ed Rendell said he'd like to see the Legislature impose limits on campaign contributions and take redistricting powers away from elected lawmakers. → READ MORE
New Pennsylvania law opens more records to the public
Associated Press • Feb. 14, 2008
HARRISBURG (AP) — Gov. Ed Rendell ended Pennsylvania's distinction of having one of the nation's weakest open-records laws Thursday by signing into law a bill that will open a broader array of government documents to public inspection. The measure makes sweeping changes to the state's Right-to-Know Law, which was enacted in 1957. It took lawmakers 13 months to agree on a version to send to the governor as they argued over how much information to conceal from average citizens and journalists. "Is it a perfect bill? No. Is it a good bill? Absolutely. Is it a step on the road to reform? Without a doubt," said Rendell, who signed the bill at a Capitol news conference, surrounded by Democratic and Republican legislators. → READ MORE
Changes for open records passed
Times-Shamrock • Feb. 13, 2008
HARRISBURG — State lawmakers gave final approval Tuesday to legislation overhauling open-records laws, thus clearing the way for Gov. Ed Rendell to sign the measure within the next few days. By a unanimous vote, the Senate approved a compromise version of legislation that makes it easier for citizens to look at and copy documents kept by state and local governments. The measure has been debated and fought over for more than a year by lawmakers attempting to balance the public's right to know with privacy concerns. Mr. Rendell quickly said he would sign the bill. The measure brings Pennsylvania's 1957 Right to Know Act — one of the most restrictive in the nation — into the 21st century. → READ MORE
Rendell to get bill on open records
Inquirer • Feb. 13, 2008
HARRISBURG — Enacting the first major piece of its government reform agenda after months of debate, the state legislature yesterday approved a bill to greatly expand public access to a wide array of government records. The measure, passed unanimously yesterday by the Senate, is now being sent to Gov. Rendell, whose spokesman said the governor intends to sign it within days. Not since the lobbyist disclosure law in 2006 has the legislature passed a major government reform bill, even though "government reform" has been the mantra in the Capitol since 2005. → READ MORE
Open records overhaul sent to Rendell
Post-Gazette • Feb. 13, 2008
HARRISBURG — New open-records legislation is on its way to the governor's desk with the unanimous support of both chambers of the Legislature. The Senate yesterday passed the bill, which is designed to let the public know more about state and local government spending and operations. The sweeping rewrite of the Right-to-Know law was a key part of a wider reform agenda aimed at garnering public trust that was lost over the middle-of-the-night pay raises lawmakers approved for themselves in 2005. → READ MORE
Brief primer on new Open Records bill
Patriot-News • Feb. 13, 2008
The Patriot-News in Harrisburg put together this quick-hit blurb on the new open records bill, and what it means to you. → READ MORE
It's a deal on open records
Feb. 12, 2008
HARRISBURG, Pa. — State House and Senate leaders agreed late Monday on a final version of a new open-records bill that proponents said would strengthen one of the weakest such laws in the nation. Shortly after the compromise was announced on a series of mostly technical changes, the bill cruised to quick passage on a 199-0 vote in the House of Representatives. The Senate is expected to follow suit today, clearing the way for Gov. Ed Rendell to sign it. → READ MORE
Pennsylvania poised to overhaul maligned open records law
Feb. 12, 2008
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The state Senate on Tuesday gave final legislative approval to a drastic overhaul of Pennsylvania's public access law, which critics have often dismissed as one of the nation's most anemic. The bill, which passed the House on Monday and the Senate on Tuesday, aims to provide people with far greater information about the actions of their state and local governments. Gov. Ed Rendell's office said he will sign it. → READ MORE
Senate sends open records bill to governor;
Rendell planning to sign it
Feb. 12, 2008
HARRISBURG, Pa. — After more than a year crafting, debating and amending an overhaul of the state's Right to Know Law, the bill now heads to Gov. Ed Rendell, who plans to sign it. The state Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 1 Tuesday afternoon, after the House amended it Monday evening to address several concerns raised by House Republicans. → READ MORE
PHEAA ordered to pay attorney fees in media case
Feb. 12, 2008
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Saying the state's student loan agency behaved with "wanton disregard" in refusing to release records to The Patriot-News and two other media organizations, a judge has ordered the agency to cover almost $50,000 in media attorney fees. Commonwealth Court Judge Doris Smith-Ribner said the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency "unquestionably behaved willfully and with wanton disregard" of the law by failing to produce records as ordered by the court. → READ MORE
Capitolwire: House, Senate strike deal
on open records bill
Feb. 11, 2008
HARRISBURG, Pa. — After a rancorous House session last week where majority Democrats lost a GOP-supported motion to delay a vote on open records reform, the two caucuses found common ground Monday. After early evening meetings between House and Senate leaders, the House approved an amendment to the open records legislation addressing some of the concerns voiced by House Republicans last week. The chamber then suspended its rules and unanimously approved the bill, sending it back to the Senate. → READ MORE
Pa. House sends open records bill back to Senate
Feb. 11, 2008
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — An overhaul of the state's open records law that would make far more documents and information available to the public grew closer Monday as the state House unanimously sent the legislation back to the Senate with three pages of changes. The Senate, which was expected to take up the bill on Tuesday, would have to agree in order to send the bill to Gov. Ed Rendell. The bill's sponsor, Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, R-Delaware, supports the amended version, his spokesman said. → READ MORE
Pa. student loan agency must pay legal fees in access battle
Feb. 11, 2008
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A judge says Pennsylvania's student loan agency acted with wanton disregard in withholding public records and is ordering it to pay $48,000 in legal fees incurred by three media companies. Commonwealth Court Judge Doris Smith-Ribner says there's no question that the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Authority acted willfully and disregarded the Right-to-Know Law in a battle over records pertaining to its lavish board retreats. → READ MORE
The public has the right to know. Now.
COMMENTARY • Feb. 8, 2008
HARRISBURG — The concept is this: Government belongs to the people, so the government's records also belong to the people. That simple premise is the cornerstone of a new "Right to Know" law that Harrisburg has been writing and rewriting for more than a year. It's time to get the law in place and start preparing to use it. There's time to make corrections after it is signed into law. There's also a whole new state office to put in place and a lot of training to be done, so let's get on with it.→ READ MORE
Pa. House postpones vote
on massive revision to open records law
Feb. 6, 2008
HARRISBURG (AP) — Pennsylvania House Republicans engineered a six-day delay Wednesday of a vote on a bill that would greatly expand what Pennsylvanians can learn about the actions of their state and local governments. Supporters of the delay said they needed time to make much-needed repairs to the bill, which passed the Senate unanimously a week earlier. "So much work has been invested in this bill, it would be a terrible shame that you would actually injure your constituents by moving forward with it as it is," said Rep. John Maher, R-Allegheny, who proposed the delay. It passed 100-98, with Republican House Speaker Dennis O'Brien the only representative to cross party lines in voting against the measure. Majority Leader Bill DeWeese, D-Greene, called the move a case of GOP obstructionism and "an obvious, obvious delaying tactic."→ READ MORE
House gets open-records bill
Jan. 31, 2008
HARRISBURG — Legislation intended to make state government more transparent is before the state House of Representatives. The House could vote as early as Monday on a bill that would revise the state's 51-year-old open records law, widely regarded as one of the country's weakest. The Senate gave unanimous approval Wednesday to its open records legislation. That bill, however, faces a difficult passage in the House, according to sources.→ READ MORE
Open-records bill sails through Pa. Senate,
now goes to House
Jan. 30, 2008
HARRISBURG (AP) — Pennsylvania's much-maligned open records law would be updated to greatly expand what people can learn about their government under a bill that passed the state Senate on Wednesday and was sent to the House. The Senate voted 50-0 in favor of the latest draft in a yearlong process of revising the Right-to-Know Law. It mandates that more government records be subject to public review, including legislative records and the financial records of the judiciary, which current law does not address.→ READ MORE
Open records bill waits for a day in Pa. Senate
Jan. 29, 2008
HARRISBURG (AP) — The Senate made several technical changes to a rewrite of Pennsylvania's open records law, delaying the chamber's plans to vote on it until Wednesday. Senators are making changes to a House version that passed six weeks ago. While the chambers have disagreed over numerous aspects of the legislation, House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese, D-Greene, has said he believes a final agreement is possible this week.→ READ MORE
Senate sets up open records bill for vote
Jan. 28, 2008
HARRISBURG (AP) — The Senate on Monday readied a rewrite of Pennsylvania's open records law for a vote as senators look for ways to compromise with a House version that passed six weeks ago. The Senate Rules Committee approved an amended bill, 14-1, and set it up for a potential vote Tuesday by the full Senate.→ READ MORE
Legislature's focus on open-records bill
Jan. 26, 2008
HARRISBURG — Observers say there's a realistic chance the Legislature will approve a measure bringing Pennsylvania's 1957 open records statute into the 21st century by week's end. The bill declares that state, county and municipal government records are considered public unless stated otherwise and puts the burden of proof on a government to show why a record should not be made public.→ READ MORE
Pa. House passes open records bill in final vote
Dec. 12, 2007
HARRISBURG (AP) — Efforts to overhaul Pennsylvania's open-records law advanced another step Wednesday as the state House of Representatives unanimously passed its version of a bill intended to make a wider assortment of records available to the public. But more work lies ahead for lawmakers to come up with a measure that Gov. Ed Rendell can sign. → READ MORE
Pa. House delays final vote on open records bill
Dec. 11, 2007
HARRISBURG (AP) — New rules the state House adopted earlier this year to make its proceedings more open to the public resulted Tuesday in a delay in final consideration of the overhaul of Pennsylvania's open records law. A 24-hour notice requirement meant the House could not take up until 9:30 p.m. its version of a bill that had previously passed the Senate, so Democratic Leader Bill DeWeese announced that the measure would be debated Wednesday morning. Legislative leaders said the delay, amendments that the Senate wants time to ponder and the impending one-month holiday break mean that no bill will be sent to Gov. Ed Rendell's desk until at least January. → READ MORE
Overhaul of open-records law ready for House vote
Dec. 11, 2007
HARRISBURG — The House appears set to vote today on legislation that would increase public access to state government records. If the House passes the bill aimed at strengthening the state's 50-year-old open records law, it will return to the Senate for consideration. Leaders in both chambers have stated their goal is to get the bill to Gov. Ed Rendell before the holidays. Erik Arneson, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, R-Delaware, said the chances of that happening are "iffy" with the changes the House made.→ READ MORE
Senate leader: Open-records bill will have to wait until January
Dec. 11, 2007
HARRISBURG (AP) — The House version of a bill to overhaul Pennsylvania's open records law differs from the bill previously approved by the state Senate in potentially important ways. Although the bill was expected to come up for a final House vote Tuesday, the latest changes appeared to doom any hope of sending the bill to the governor before the end of the year.→ READ MORE
Pa. House makes changes to Senate's open records bill
Dec. 10, 2007
HARRISBURG (AP) — The fits-and-starts process of overhauling Pennsylvania's open records law took a step forward Monday as the House of Representatives made a host of mostly minor revisions to a version previously approved by the state Senate. The main amendment, a measure sponsored by Rep. Tim Mahoney, D-Fayette, would provide greater access to records of the Legislature but prevented disclosure of birth dates and phone numbers in public records. The grueling hours of votes on Monday laid the groundwork for a final vote in the House, which could come as early as Tuesday. A House-Senate conference committee may be necessary to negotiate a compromise version before the measure can gain final approval by each body and be sent to Gov. Ed Rendell.→ READ MORE
A 'worthless day' for House
Black lawmakers' walkout stalls vote on open records
Dec. 6, 2007
HARRISBURG — The state House never seemed more in turmoil than it did on Wednesday. A day that was supposed to be a triumph for reform and good government devolved into a chaotic mess marked by whirling rumors and partisan finger-pointing, resulting in nothing getting done. Votes on legislation to revamp the state's open records law never occurred.→ READ MORE
Black caucus members walk out of Pa. House over gun legislation
Dec. 5, 2007
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Black lawmakers in the Pennsylvania House walked off the floor Wednesday to force action on gun legislation and some threatened to boycott the remainder of the year's session. The dramatic move halted the much anticipated debate over amendments to the Right-to-Know Law almost as soon as it began. They requested leave immediately after the sponsor of the Democrats' main open records law amendment, Rep. Tim Mahoney, D-Fayette, made brief remarks. The House could resume debate on the bill without the black caucus members and it was not immediately clear what leadership intended to do.→ READ MORE
Pa. House takes up Senate's open records bill
Dec. 3, 2007
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Democratic leaders of the state House of Representatives are pinning their hopes of getting an open records law passed before Christmas on a bill approved by the Senate last week. On Monday, the House Appropriations Committee voted out the Senate bill despite nearly unanimous Republican opposition. The Senate bill, which passed with only one dissenting vote, would drastically change Pennsylvania's 50-year-old Right-to-Know Law, widely regarded as among the country's weakest laws on public access to government records and information.→ READ MORE
Settlement with former employee costlier than reported
Dec. 1, 2007
A settlement agreement Tunkhannock Township supervisors made with a former employee and tried to keep quiet turns out to be about 2½ times more expensive than the township previously disclosed. When the supervisors explained the agreement to residents at a special meeting on Nov. 5, the cost was put at about $6,000. However, according to the agreement the Pocono Record recently received from the township, the total cost to the township is about $14,700. The term of the payout is also longer than supervisors initially made known. The supervisors initially refused to release details of the agreement. That apparently was contrary to Pennsylvania's open records laws. In addition, the vote to approve the settlement agreement in a private session was a violation of the state's Sunshine Act, which requires all public agencies to take all official actions and conduct all deliberations at public meetings.→ READ MORE
Radnor 'right to know' case trudges along
Nov. 29, 2007
A hearing scheduled for Nov. 20 in the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas in the "right to know" case of a citizen versus the Radnor Township School District was continued by request of the school district. In July, Newtown Square resident and former Radnor school-board member Judy Sherry filed a petition seeking a court-ordered reversal of the school district�s denial to give her certain documents related to the most recent district administrators' agreement and to individual district salary increases. On Nov. 20 in front of Judge Robert C. Wright, the school district's request to push back the hearing was granted, to the displeasure of Sherry and her attorney, son Parker V. Sherry, who said they don't want the case dragged out. Wright told school-district special counsel Michael Levin that one of his arguments for continuation of the hearing - that a new open-records law may come out of the Pennsylvania legislature in the near future - was not his "best bet."→ READ MORE
Pa. Senate OKs open records bill;
House focusing on similar bill
Nov. 28, 2007
HARRISBURG (AP) — A bill to expand the public's access to government records overwhelmingly passed the state Senate on Wednesday, although a clash could be looming with a competing House bill that is considered stronger. The Senate bill's sponsor, Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, R-Delaware, rejected criticism that it does not go far enough, saying it compares favorably with the strongest laws in other states and upholds the spirit of making government more open. → READ MORE
Pa. Senate OKs change to open records bill
Nov. 28, 2007
HARRISBURG — State Sen. Jim Ferlo said Tuesday he voted against an open records provision because it fails to put the Legislature under the Right to Know law. "To me it is a shell of a bill," said Ferlo, D-Highland Park.→ READ MORE
Open-records law moves closer to vote
Nov. 27, 2007
HARRISBURG — Sponsors of open-records legislation are back to emphasizing substance over form. Gone is a provision to exempt most public officials? e-mail from public scrutiny, an issue that made for a controversial House vote on open records last month. Instead, a new open-records bill in the House provides that state and local officials judge the content of a record, not whether it?s in electronic form or on paper, to determine whether a document can be handed over to a citizen upon request. The Senate open-records bill up for a possible floor vote this week also makes content the litmus test for public disclosure. → READ MORE
Open records bill heads for Senate vote
Nov. 27, 2007
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvanians might soon have easier access to government records showing how their tax dollars are being spent and what their elected officials are doing, government watchdogs say. The state Senate today is slated to vote on a bill that would revamp Pennsylvania?s open records law. Pennsylvania has been one of the worst states in the nation when it comes to ensuring access to government documents, critics say. Some records would remain closed even if the bill becomes law. The key change is a new "presumption" that records of state agencies or local government bodies are public unless protected by a specific exception or other privilege. The burden to prove exceptions is on the government.→ READ MORE
Open records: Priceless, but too expensive?
Nov. 26, 2007 • Commentary
HARRISBURG — Giving Pennsylvanians the widest possible access to the official records of its government agencies? Some would call it priceless. But it may prove too expensive for most people. Advocates for greater openness in government say pending legislation that would overhaul Pennsylvania's open-records law should do more to stack the deck against government agencies that choose to fight such requests.→ READ MORE
Pa. House again delays debate
on open records law changes
Nov. 20, 2007
HARRISBURG (AP) — The state House of Representatives left for a 12-day Thanksgiving break Tuesday without resuming debate on a new open records law. Majority Leader Bill DeWeese announced that after "very aggressive negotiations," a new bill was about to be introduced and that the sponsors were seeking co-sponsors. "This compromise effort moving forward is, in my view, the best tactic and the best strategy," DeWeese said.→ READ MORE
Pa. Supreme Court says pay of Paterno,
other PSU figures public
Nov. 20, 2007
HARRISBURG (AP) — The state retirement system must disclose the salaries of Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno and some of the school's top administrators, the state Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. The 4-2 decision said a lower court that had ordered the disclosure properly balanced the public's interest in knowing details about retirement system finances against the effects disclosure might have on reputations and personal security. The case was the result of a December 2002 request by a reporter for The Patriot-News in Harrisburg who sought the salaries of Paterno and three other Penn State officials from the State Employees' Retirement System.→ READ MORE
Detractors say House open-records bill still needs work
Nov. 2, 2007
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Dozens of changes were made this week to a 48-page House freedom of information bill, but critics say it still would do more harm than good if adopted into law. The bill advanced toward a final vote in the House on Tuesday, but opponents – including the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association – warn that its broad language and numerous loopholes would foreclose access to many records that are currently available.→ READ MORE
WHYY Radio airs open records discussion
Oct. 31, 2007
Should Pennsylvania provide more access to its government records? "Radio Times" with Marty Moss-Coane hears from Philadelphia Inquirer reporter John Sullivan about his difficulties getting public documents and from Barry Kauffman of Common Cause of Pennsylvania on why he believes Pennsylvanians deserve better access to the inner-workings of its government. State Rep. Babette Joseph, considered an proponent for open records, is also heard from. → LISTEN TO THE SHOW via Real Audio
Pa. House gets public records access law in shape for final vote
Oct. 30, 2007
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — In a marathon session Tuesday, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives put the finishing touches on a bill that would completely gut and replace Pennsylvania's 50-year-old Right-to-Know Law. The debate over 13 hours disposed of nearly 100 amendments, with Democrats successfully fighting back Republican-led attempts to delay consideration of the freedom-of-information bill. A final House vote was expected in mid-November.→ READ MORE
Senate panel OKs open records changes,
House pushes back debate
Oct. 29, 2007
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A state Senate committee unanimously approved a bill Monday to overhaul the law that sets limits on public access to government records after committee members rejected efforts to broaden the bill's reach. The bill endorsed by the Senate State Government Committee would make all executive branch records available to the public at the state and local levels, unless they fall into one of 28 exceptions. The current Right-to-Know Law defines specific types of records that are public and presumes all others can remain secret.→ READ MORE
Hope, fear as lawmakers weigh 'Right to Know' changes
Oct. 28, 2007 • Commentary
You have a right to know what your local and state governments are doing. We need a law that makes that obvious. Pennsylvania has a "Right to Know" law, written in 1957 and revised in 2002, that determines public access to local and state agency documents and information. It has deficiencies, however. So many deficiencies that national government watchdog organizations have consistently rated Pennsylvania as having among the worst open records laws in the country. The main deficiency is this: The law does not start with the presumption that government records are public records and that citizens are entitled to see them. → READ MORE
Pa. governor releases list of state polling places
Oct. 26, 2007
Governor Ed Rendell on Friday rescinded a state policy that had kept Pennsylvania's list of polling places hidden from the public because of fears that terrorists could disrupt elections in the state. Rendell's abrupt decision came amid criticism from Republican legislative leaders one day after The Associated Press reported on the policy, which was implemented in 2004 as a result of terrorist bombings that occurred just days before Spain's national elections. The governor's spokesman, Chuck Ardo, said ordering the State Department to make the list public was the right thing to do because the information is already available through county election offices. Voters can also look up their local polling places on the state's voter-services Web site.→ READ MORE
Pa. officials, fearing terrorism, conceal list of polling places
Oct. 25, 2007
State officials have decided not to publicize their list of polling places in Pennsylvania, citing concerns that terrorists could disrupt elections in the commonwealth. The Department of State made its decision as a result of terrorist bombings that occurred just days before Spain's national elections in 2004, spokeswoman Leslie Amoros said. Election officials consulted with state police, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and the state Office of Homeland Security. "The agencies agreed it was appropriate not to release the statewide list to protect the public and the integrity of the voting process," Amoros said. But critics say the policy runs afoul of the state's open records law and makes coordinating statewide voter-mobilization strategies more difficult for candidates and political action committees.→ READ MORE
Groups call for defeat of open records bill
Oct. 20, 2007
In a sharp turnaround, two public access advocacy groups are calling for the defeat of an open records bill headed for a House floor vote. Officials with Pennsylvania Common Cause and the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association withdrew their support for the bill after the House State Government Committee substantially rewrote it during a three-hour meeting Wednesday night. They say the bill should either be sent back to the committee for a cleanup or voted down on the floor.→ READ MORE
Pa. open records bill, on fast track, becomes target for critics
Oct. 18, 2007
A proposed revision to Pennsylvania's open-records law drew some harsh criticism from public access advocates Thursday, one day after it was hurriedly pushed out of a legislative committee. State lawmakers and Gov. Ed Rendell have touted a revision of the Right-to-Know Law as the centerpiece of government reform efforts. The bill emerged from the State Government Committee late Wednesday and could be debated on the House floor as soon as next week. But immediate reaction has been generally negative.→ READ MORE
Supervisors for Tunkhannock Township defy law,
make secret payments
Oct. 16, 2007
Township supervisors in Monroe County defied Pennsylvania law and agreed to make secret payments to the township's former secretary/treasurer. The Tunkhannock Township supervisors, meeting in a private session, voted unanimously to approve a settlement between Donna Verdes and the township at an executive session meeting on Oct. 9. The vote itself appears to be in violation of the Pennsylvania Sunshine Act, which requires all public agencies to take all official actions and conduct all deliberations at public meetings.→ READ MORE
Prying the door open for Pennsylvania records
Sept. 25, 2007 • Commentary
Pennsylvania's open records law has been ranked as one of the worst in the country. That sobering fact becomes even more troublesome when we recognize that the existing open records law - enacted just five years ago - is considered a vast improvement over the previous act, providing a glimpse of just how bad things actually could be. Most people - government officials among them - would agree that open government is a good thing, at least in the abstract. After all, openness is part of the framework upon which this nation was founded. The consensus often breaks down, however, when examining a set of particulars.→ READ MORE
Right to know costs $2,700
Sept. 16, 2007
Craig Staudenmaier refuses to pay up to $2,700 for property-related public records that he believes Erie County government can easily produce. Especially when Lehigh County charged him $55.27 for the same type of information, and York County's price for similar data was $5.63. Staudenmaier, a Harrisburg lawyer, has asked for an Erie County Common Pleas Court hearing regarding his request for an electronic copy of Erie County's property assessment database. Staudenmaier said the county's fee is excessive under the Pennsylvania Right To Know Law, which governs public records.→ READ MORE
Pushing the 'public' in public records
Sept. 23, 2007
Cathy Lodge has questions about a giant new power plant being developed in her neighborhood and believes that some answers lie in a state-funded report on file at the Washington County Courthouse. She was allowed to look at the nearly 40-page report once but felt a bit intimidated while a county official and another man stood over her at the office when she went there to read the document. She ended up receiving copies of just eight pages of the report. "If this was paid for with state money, why can't we have it?" said Lodge. Hundreds of people have been airing similar complaints at a Web site on open-records access sponsored by the Pennsylvania Freedom of Information Coalition as state lawmakers ponder three amendments to the Open Records Act.→ READ MORE
Team 4 tests state's Right to Know Law
Sept. 13, 2007
Have you ever tried to ask for public records from your local government or the state? It can be a frustrating experience. WTAE Channel 4 Action News decided to test the law with more than a dozen local governments and state agencies.→ READ MORE
Commissioner said two executive sessions
violated Sunshine Act, others say they didn't
Aug. 22, 2007
A York Township commissioner said Monday that he and fellow board members violated Pennsylvania's Sunshine Act in two meetings this summer. Commissioner Dennis Ness confirmed allegations that resident John Bowders first raised during last week's township meeting. Ness said that, during an executive session Aug. 9, the board discussed a right-of-way that Keystone Custom Homes wants to obtain from Dallastown Area School District. At the July 19 closed-door meeting, Ness said the board held a "straw vote" to see which way each commissioner was leaning on Bridgewater. Under the Sunshine Act, public panels may use executive sessions only to discuss topics such as personnel issues, labor issues or possible litigation. Board members must let the public know why they are holding executive sessions.→ READ MORE
Pa. legislators get own look at loophole in open-records law
Aug. 7, 2007
HARRISBURG (AP) — State legislators received a firsthand look Tuesday at why critics say Pennsylvania's open-records law is too weak: In front of them, the state's top highway official reversed a decision his agency had made to withhold bridge safety ratings from the public. As part of a hearing on proposed changes to the open-records law, the House State Government Committee had requested testimony from the Department of Transportation on why it refused to release bridge safety ratings to a newspaper that had asked for them several months ago. With the collapse of a major bridge in Minnesota last week, bridge safety is a high-profile issue across the country, and Transportation Secretary Allen D. Biehler told legislators he would release the ratings despite internal agency concerns that releasing information would cause undue alarm or breach public security. "It's simply a judgment call," Biehler told the panel. "I'd rather err on the side of providing information." Critics of the state's open-records law say that, among other things, it gives officials at all levels of government wide latitude to deny public records requests, a loophole they say has helped make Pennsylvania one of the worst public-access states in the country.→ READ MORE
Citizen files lawsuit against Radnor School District
July 26, 2007
It was not the first time Newtown Square resident Judy Sherry asked to see documents related to the running of the Radnor Township School District. The times had been many during the four years she served on the Radnor School Board and over the few years since she left the board. But this time, Sherry has upped the level of requests under Pennsylvania's Open Records law to the level of quest by filing a petition for review in the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas, which she did Friday.→ READ MORE
Expanded Pa. open records proposal expected
July 25, 2007
HARRISBURG — A bill that would expand public access to municipal and state records ranging from police reports to Penn State football coach Joe Paterno's salary will be at the top of this fall's legislative agenda, House and Senate leaders have pledged. The House State Government Committee has scheduled a hearing Aug. 7 in Harrisburg on open records legislation sponsored by Rep. Tim Mahoney, D-Uniontown.→ READ MORE
Closed arraignment for cop shooting suspect raises questions
July 12, 2007
STROUDSBURG — When New York outlaws flee to the Poconos, the media follows. The chase and capture of accused NYPD cop shooters Dexter Bostic and Robert Ellis was covered by seemingly every news outlet in New York City. But when Bostic's video arraignment took place behind closed doors, the public and media was shut out of the process. "The Associated Press is investigating what happened. We will protest it," said Sally Hale, Associated Press chief of bureaus for Pennsylvania.→ READ MORE
Pa. justices uphold public access to audiotapes played in court
June 21, 2007
HARRISBURG (AP) — Audiotapes played during preliminary hearings in criminal cases are public records, even if the tapes are not entered as evidence or otherwise filed with the court, the state's highest court ruled in a decision released Thursday. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court sided with a Pittsburgh television station in its attempt to obtain a copy of a tape recording that prosecutors played during a preliminary hearing in a vehicular homicide case in 2004.→ READ MORE
Pa. House reform panel supports wider open-records law
June 21, 2007
HARRISBURG (AP) — A state House commission on Tuesday unanimously recommended widening Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know Law to make most government records, beyond a list of exceptions, available for public inspection. Pennsylvania law currently defines just two categories of government records as public, making it among the weakest access laws in the country. "I'm pretty impressed," said Common Cause of Pennsylvania executive director Barry Kauffman after the vote by the Speaker's Legislative Reform Commission. "They've made a very clear statement that we need to make major strides in opening government records to the public."→ READ MORE
Key Pa. Senate leader backs wider state open-records law
June 4, 2007
HARRISBURG (AP) — The state Senate's majority leader threw his support Monday behind a proposal to drastically change Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know Law by presuming all government records are open beyond a list of specific exceptions. The "flip of presumption" has long been sought by open-records advocates who say the current law, which defines just two categories of records as necessarily open, allows governmental entities to bar access to information the public should know. Sen. Dominic Pileggi, R-Delaware, announced his position following a hearing on a Right-to-Know Law bill he is sponsoring that does not call for the flip of presumption. Two other pending bills would establish the wider definition of a public record, and Gov. Ed Rendell supports the approach.→ READ MORE
Legislature warily approaches changing open-records law
June 3, 2007 • Commentary
HARRISBURG (AP) — The debate in the Pennsylvania Legislature over potential changes to the state's primary open-records law has focused lately on unintended consequences and worst-case scenarios. That's not particularly good news for anyone expecting significant widening of the Right-to-Know Law.→ READ MORE
PHEAA spent $409,413 on fight to shield expense
May 31, 2007
HARRISBURG (AP) — Keeping secrets can prove costly. The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency spent $409,413 on legal bills to try to keep records detailing travel expenses incurred by its employees and board members private. PHEAA released its legal bills yesterday. Those costs involved paying two law firms -- Stevens & Lee of Reading and Lamb McErlane of Chester County -- to wage a court battle that PHEAA initiated against The Patriot-News in 2005. The Patriot-News first requested the records, and The Associated Press and WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh joined the newspaper in seeking more documentation. The state's student-aid agency fought for 19 months, all the way to the state Supreme Court, which ordered the release of the records this year.→ READ MORE
Pa. Supreme Court says jurors' names should usually be released
June 1, 2007
HARRISBURG (AP) — The state Supreme Court ruled Thursday that jurors' names should be made public – but not in all cases – and that there is no constitutional right to learn their addresses. The 5-0 decision overturned a Westmoreland County judge who had withheld the names of the jurors who convicted a podiatrist of suffocating his wife.→ READ MORE
Court upholds newspaper's award in fight for public records
May 25, 2007
NEW CASTLE (AP) — The state Supreme Court let stand a ruling in favor of a newspaper that had been rebuffed in its efforts to learn the terms of a school district's settlement of a dress-code lawsuit. The court on Tuesday announced it would not hear the appeal by the New Castle Area School District of a Commonwealth Court ruling that it engaged in "wanton and willful disregard" of the New Castle News' right to a public record.→ READ MORE
Case of Paterno's still-secret salary goes to Pa. high court
May 14, 2007
HARRISBURG (AP) — The state's highest court heard arguments Monday on whether secret salaries of Penn State employees, including football coach Joe Paterno, should be released to the public. Penn State will not disclose the salaries of its administrators and employees, and has tried to block an attempt by a reporter for the Patriot-News of Harrisburg to find out the salary of Paterno and three top administrators. The school gets about 10 percent of its more than $3 billion budget from the state, but is a separate entity. The reporter, Jan Murphy, sought the salary information from the State Employees Retirement System, to which Paterno and the administrators belong. The Supreme Court's chief justice, Ralph J. Cappy, repeatedly pressed Murphy's lawyer to explain how the salary information collected by the retirement system should be considered a public record under the state's Right-to-Know Law.→ READ MORE
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania adopts policy
governing public access to its financial records
May 14, 2007 • News release
HARRISBURG (AP) — The Pennsylvania Judiciary's long-standing practice of providing open, public access to its financial and related administrative records was formalized today under an order issued by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. The order creates a new Rule of Judicial Administration that establishes a systematic process for requesting and accessing state court system records that deal with the use of public funds, including the purchase of services, supplies or equipment. The rule takes effect July 1, 2007.→ READ MORE
Commissioner charged, conduct blistered
on Haverford State sale
Apr. 6, 2007
Haverford [Township] Commissioner Fred Moran was charged with bribery yesterday as part of a scathing report by a state grand jury into allegations of misconduct by township officials tied to the controversial sale of the former Haverford State Hospital site. State Attorney General Tom Corbett announced the grand jury found a persistent pattern of misconduct by township officials to keep the public out of the loop on the controversial Haverford State deal. The grand jury also recommended the Legislature take a series of steps to address flaws in the state Sunshine Law that allowed such activities to occur.→ READ MORE
House leaders OK release of staff bonuses data
Apr. 6, 2007
HARRISBURG — The state Treasury is compiling House of Representatives payroll records relating to this year's staff bonuses that were requested by The Patriot-News, and it might release the information by next week, officials said. Treasury officials initially refused the newspaper's Jan. 24 request but changed their position after receiving a letter signed by House leaders, who said they had no objection to the release of the records. At first, Treasury officials claimed the state's open-records law was "entirely ambiguous" as to whether it had to release information about a legislative chamber.→ READ MORE
Grand jury charges official, calls for Sunshine law changes
Apr. 5, 2007
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A grand jury on Thursday called for a dramatic strengthening of the state's right-to-know law as it recommended charges against a suburban township supervisor accused of trying to bribe a developer. Between September 2002 and November 2004, public officials in Haverford Township failed to keep the public – and other elected officials – informed about certain efforts to develop the site of the former Haverford State Hospital, the grand jury found. Township officials routinely met in private in 2003 and 2004 to discuss proposals to develop part of the hospital site so that they could ensure that the development stayed under their control, according to the grand jury report. ''The grand jury has also found that many of the statutes designed to protect the public's right to be informed of governmental actions, such as the Sunshine Act, are illusory and fail to protect the public,'' the grand jury wrote.→ READ MORE
Web site helps Pa. residents get access to public records
Apr. 3, 2007
A new Web site has been established to help Pennsylvanians get access to public records and know what they are entitled to see. The site is from a new nonprofit group, the Pennsylvania Freedom of Information Coalition, which said the state has some of the weakest protections for access to government records and open meetings.→ READ MORE
New law shines light on 1,000 lobbyists working in Pa. Capitol
March 18, 2007 • Commentary
HARRISBURG (AP) — Like a blind man who miraculously regains his sight, Pennsylvanians interested in knowing more about the lobbyists paid to influence state government now can see a glimmer of light after more than four years in the dark. Pennsylvania shed its status as the only state without a lobbyist-disclosure law on Jan. 1. As of that date, lobbyists and the ''principals'' who employ them _ corporations, professional groups, labor unions _ were required by law to register for the first time since the state Supreme Court tossed out the previous law in 2002.→ READ MORE
Pa. House clerk working to implement new open-records procedure
March 16, 2007
HARRISBURG (AP) — A new policy to make House spending records available to the public by e-mail is posing logistical challenges for the office that is implementing it. The House passed a new rule Tuesday as part its internal reform effort that says ''all expense reports shall be provided electronically by the chief clerk upon request.'' But now the clerk's office, which has to figure out how to convert what has been a paper-based system, is worried that hundreds or thousands of requests could flood in – leaving workers unable to do more than simply send out unsorted records in bulk form.→ READ MORE
House passes package of reforms to its rules
March 13, 2007
HARRISBURG (AP) — The House of Representatives on Tuesday unanimously passed a reform package to significantly change how it operates and make its actions far more transparent to the public. Supporters said one result will be to shift some power from party leaders to the rank-and-file. Lawmakers' state-paid vehicle options were reduced and the House will disclose considerably more to the public over the Internet.→ READ MORE
Pa. student-loan agency details spending on board retreats
March 12, 2007
HARRISBURG (AP) — The state's college-loan agency Monday released records detailing how its board spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on trips to lavish resorts as far away as California between 2000 and 2005. The records were the second and final batch of documents that the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency made available to three news organizations after 19 months of ultimately unsuccessful efforts to block public access through the state courts, largely on grounds that the documents contain "trade secrets."→ READ MORE
Sunshine Week Pennsylvania:
Comparing Pa. Right-to-Know Law with a model law
March 11, 2007
HARRISBURG (AP) — How certain provisions of the existing Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law compare with a model law promoted by the state newspaper association as part of its "Brighter Pennsylvania" public-access initiative.→ READ MORE
Pennsylvania Freedom of Information Coalition forms
March 10, 2007
HARRISBURG (AP) — A new group, the Pennsylvania Freedom of Information Coalition, has been formed to work for the right of Pennsylvania citizens to obtain public information from local governments and the state. The founders are journalists, librarians, attorneys, educators and community group leaders. "Our coalition is intended to be just that — a coalition of Pennsylvania citizens from all walks of life, who share the belief that the best government is an open one," said Gayle Sproul, an attorney chosen as the group's first president.→ READ MORE
Gov. Rendell to seek drastic rewrite
of state's Right-to-Know Law
March 7, 2007
HARRISBURG (AP) — Gov. Ed Rendell will propose legislation later this month designed to significantly widen public access to government records and information, a top aide to the governor said Tuesday. The governor will produce a draft revision to the Right-to-Know Law that would make all government records _ beyond a list of exceptions _ available to the public, said Donna Cooper, Rendell's secretary for policy.→ READ MORE
Pa. student-loan agency releases some expense records
Feb. 28, 2007
HARRISBURG (AP) — The state's student loan agency Wednesday released some of the expense records requested by three news organizations that sued for access, but the documents were stripped of critical information and randomly arranged. After 19 months of fruitless efforts to block public access largely on grounds that the documents contain "trade secrets," the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency made available at its Harrisburg headquarters 13,470 pages of receipts and vouchers for airfare, hotel rooms, meals and other expenses incurred by PHEAA's 2,700 employees between 2003 and 2005. The news organizations — The Associated Press, The Patriot-News in Harrisburg and WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh — filed requests for various financial information under the state Right-to-Know Law in the summer of 2005, setting the stage for a court battle that the state Commonwealth Court decided in the news companies' favor. The state Supreme Court reaffirmed that decision in an order last week.→ READ MORE
