In 2009, the Pennsylvania Right to Know Act went into effect. The Act deems all records public unless the government can show that it isn’t. Unlike some states, the burden is on the government entity to prove that the record is exempt under Pennsylvania State law. Despite the focus on transparency in the 2009 Act, […]
Read More… from Pennsylvania: Technology can help solve the government transparency problem
From The Kansas City Star: STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — A Penn State alumnus is organizing a drive to fund his legal efforts to obtain records pertaining to the school’s handling of the Jerry Sandusky child-sex scandal, and to make the school more transparent and subject to open records laws in the future.
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Read More… from Penn State alum starts fund for open records fight
From NBC Philadelphia: Right-to-know requests from a private citizen recently uncovered an alarming lack of accountability and oversight in the finances of the Oley Valley School District.
Among the findings were vague bookkeeping methods, unchecked lines of credit at area stores without district officials’ knowledge and bills for meals at upscale restaurants not being filed properly.
Visit NBC Philadelphia for more.
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Read More… from Pa. open records law faces legislative changes
From The Mercury: The four biggest taxpayer-funded universities in Pennsylvania continue to push back against proposed legislation that would give taxpayers to the right to know how hundreds of millions of dollars are spent each year.
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Read More… from Pa. state universities continue fight against more transparency
From The Republic: HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania — Lawyers for Penn State and Pennsylvania’s three other “state-related” universities said Monday they should not be fully covered by the state Right-to-Know Law, as lawmakers revisited a previously settled question reignited by the Jerry Sandusky child molestation case.
The attorneys said during a four-hour Capitol hearing on proposed changes to the state’s main open-records law that it should not apply to them as it does to the 14 state-owned schools in the State System of Higher Education.
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From Daily Local News: The Daily Local News filed an appeal with the state’s Office of Open Records on Friday regarding three Right-to-Know requests for public documents denied by the Coatesville Area School District.
Requests were made for numbers of all district-issued cell phones and the names of employees associated with those numbers; names, job titles, lengths of stay and salaries for three specific school district employees; and names, job titles, lengths of stay and salaries of all employees in the school district.
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From Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: The county must obtain and release the settlement between a nonprofit that provides medical services at the Allegheny County Jail and a former inmate because the county created, funds and shares offices with the organization, the state Office of Open Records ruled Monday in response to an appeal filed by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
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Read More… from Trib wins appeal to open records in settlement with former county inmate
From abc27: HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) – The head of Pennsylvania’s Office of Open Records gives charter schools failing grades when the subject is compliance with the Right-To-Know Law.
“The number one violators are charter schools,” said Executive Director Terry Mutchler.
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Read More… from Open Records chief flunks Pa. charter schools
From The Morning Call: […] A state court recently said Pennsylvania government offices don't have to provide the public with all of the phone numbers and email addresses assigned to their employees.
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From NewsWorks.org:
The Republican leader in the Pennsylvania Senate is taking the wraps off a wide set of proposed changes to the state Right-to-Know Law.
Sen. Dominic Pileggi’s 22-page bill introduced Friday includes limits on access by inmates and new authority for the Office of Open Records to review documents in private to see if they should be released.
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Read More… from Pa. Senate leader proposes open records law rework
