We are moving
May 2nd, 2007 by JamieB
Evidence is mounting that the push for a new open records law has public support that is both surprisingly broad and refreshingly deep.
Some indications:
• The Mansfield University Annual State Survey, conducted from Feb. 12 to March 8, 2007 among state residents 18 years and older, found that nearly three out of four Pennsylvanians want the state government to operate transparently by providing easy public access to all records and papers.
• bobguzzardi commented on Monday’s blog: I am also surprised that Sen. Pileggi says that this is not a priority with his constituents. I think that Young Republicans of Chester County are on board and there is no one that thinks it is a bad idea for citizens to have access to government records.
• The secret’s out, editorialized the Daily Item in Sunbury.
The most interesting thing about recent public hearings reforming state government was that there was a lot of agreement about just one thing.
It was not about reducing (or enlarging) the size of the General Assembly. It was not about term limits.
It was about right to know.
As reported by The Associated Press, the Speaker’s Commission on Legislative Reform has held three hearings on the topic of reform. . . .[and] one theme keeps coming up: The Right to Know Law.
• Members of the public offered wildly diverging views Friday on how many state lawmakers the Legislature should have as a bipartisan panel listened to their suggestions on how the institution can improve its openness and accountability, the Associated Press reported.
But Rep. Josh Shapiro, D-Montgomery, co-chair of the commission, said that between the latest hearings and hundreds of e-mails the commission has received, people are most interested in lawmakers improving the state’s Right-To-Know Law.
“Probably the one issue where there is most agreement is reforming our open-records laws,” Shapiro said.
• The Citizens Voice wrote:
Among the many government reforms that are needed in Pennsylvania at the state and local levels, guaranteed openness is the most important because it is the foundation for all of the others.
Information is the key to the lock on government power, which is supposed to reside in the people. Supporting open records will help to restore that key to the public.
• Yesterday the Senate Appropriations Committee unanimously approved Dominic Pileggi (R-Delaware)’s SB 729, the State Salary Information Act, which requires the State Treasurer to post on an official Internet website, and update monthly, salary information for all employees of the executive, legislative and judicial branches of state government – including name, title, agency, salary and any supplemental payments for each employee.
Asked by Sen. Gerald LaValle (D-Beaver) if there would be any further modifications to the Open Records Law, Pileggi said that this bill merely changes the way agencies make the salary information available. He has another bill that addresses Open Records.
Now is not the time to let up. Please keep posting here and supporting real reform across the state.