Legislators Speak Up for Open Records
Jun 15th, 2007 by JamieB
Legislators from around the state are voicing strong support for open-records change. In fact, veterans of the political scene are saying they have not seen such an appetite for reform in Harrisburg in their lifetimes. We are not there yet, but we are heading in the right direction. . . . and as we keep saying, it is critical to keep the momentum going, even through a recess, to make sure what we get is what we need.
Below are some examples of Legislators speaking up around the state. If you have information on your representatives and senators, let us know.
We will soon post a list of all legislators who have pledged to support meaningful reform and those who have not. And the names in bold below continue to underline the broad and bipartisan support for meaningful change.
• The Scranton Times-Tribune
The two Northeastern Pennsylvania lawmakers on the 24-member commission, Reps. Phyllis Mundy, D-Kingston, and David Argall, R-Schuylkill, voted for the open-records changes.
Strengthening the open-records law is the most important reform recommendation the commission has made, said Ms. Mundy.
The commission’s vote on open records is drawing support from other regional lawmakers. They and their colleagues will have to pass legislation in both the House and Senate for any of the commission’s recommendations to take effect.
Senate Minority Leader Robert Mellow, D-Peckville, said he has long favored making government records public.
So did Rep. Frank Andrews Shimkus, D-South Abington Township.
“As a former reporter, I believe all records should be open,” he said. “I’ve struggled in my career to get access to records.”
Rep. Ed Staback, D-Archbald, anticipates a vote in the House relatively quickly on an open records bill.
“The public has a right to know how we spend their money and what we do here,” said Mr. Staback.
“If you are not doing anything wrong, what do you have to hide?” asked Rep. Ken Smith, D-Dunmore.
• The Johnstown Tribune-Democrat
State representatives Ed Wojnaroski, D-Johnstown, Tom Yewcic, D-Jackson, Bob Bastian, R-Somerset, and Gary Haluska, D-Patton, said they favor opening more records.
“We have a weak open-records law, and we are trying to correct it,” Wojnaroski said.
He said government records belong to the people and that the public is entitled to see the documents unless there is a legitimate reason to withhold them.
Because of that, he added, the language of any new law should include penalties for officials who fail to respond in a timely manner to requests for information.
Wojnaroski and Yewcic said the pay-raise debacle of 2005 triggered the movement to reform the Right-to-Know law.
Yewcic said that fiasco also started a discussion about term limits and prompted lawmakers to make rule changes to stop the practice of presenting legislation or amended legislation for a vote at the last minute. He was in favor of the rule changes and favors term limits.
“The public has the right to know what their government is doing,” he said about the open-records law. “It’s as simple as that.”
Information should be more readily available, he added.
With current technology, Yewcic said, people should be able to get all the information they need from the Internet instead of having to drive to Harrisburg.
Bastian said reforming the open-records law should have happened long ago.
“It’s the age of reform, and this is good reform,” he said.
“You need transparency in any transaction that spends tax dollars.”
He said some exceptions will be fashioned, including personnel matters concerning state employees.
Haluska agreed, saying “Anything that deals with tax dollars is public information, and the people should have the means to see where the money is going.”
He said the same goes for the 14 state-owned universities and the four state-related universities. Taxpayers’ money is being spent there as well, he said.
• The Morning Call of Allentown
If the General Assembly accomplishes all this, it will have provided Pennsylvanians with a much-needed and important governmental reform. Open government best serves the public. Events in Harrisburg of the last few years – the way the slots law was passed, the infamous 2005 legislative pay grab, revelations about legislative spending – have awakened people to the need for more openness regarding all levels of their government. It appears the majority of the General Assembly has grasped this and Sen. Dominic Pileggi’s (R-Chester) commitment provides crucial momentum. Hard work remains and no one should assume that a few encouraging words will translate into an open records law that Pennsylvanians can be proud of. There may be too much to do by the time lawmakers recess for the summer, however, it looks as if 2007 could be the year Pennsylvania steps into the 21st century when it comes to the public’s right to know.
This is a great blog.
I am a former Representative who also favors changing the Open Records Law. In fact, I sponsored several bills that would have made much needed changes.
Being unable to change the law and after getting a tremendous amount of criticism from my local media, I posted all my monthly expenses on line on my web site. Unfortunately, my actions got very little attention.
Legislators get a monthly report of expenses and balances in their accounts and this is the report I posted on line. I suggest that others who are in favor of Open Records post their expense reports on their web sites too. This can be done voluntarily without changing any law.
As a freshman member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, I knew there were many important issues in this session of the General Assembly. The one issue that I felt was paramount in restoring the trust of the people of this great commonwealth was an Open Records/Right to Know Law that provided transparency to state government. I am proud to have been one of the first to stand up and say enough is enough and the people have a right to know. That is why I have introduced HB 443 and I am proud to say that many of my colleagues have jumped aboard in supporting this legislation. I have served for only seven months and I have enjoyed serving the constituents of my district and the people across Pennsylvania. The one commitment that I will make is to truly serve the needs of the people and leave the politics of Harrisburg locked in closet forever collecting the dust it deserves. I ask you to call the Governor, your Senator and Representative and urge them to restore trust back in state government by passing HB 443. Please feel free to contact my Harrisburg office to further discuss support of HB 443.
Rep. Tim Mahoney
PA State House
51 District
Mr. Mahoney is spot-on in his use of two operative words in reference to the open records issue. Those words are trust
and transparency.
In the framework of a representative Republic, of which our own Commonwealth is a charter member in the Original Thirteen, the declarative action of electing a person to a high position of trust to give voice and expression of the will the electorate demands transparency.
While transparency does not guarantee honesty, it goes a long way toward assuance of accountability.
An amazing power dynamic in Pennsylvania politics for multiple generations is that representatives who have been entrusted to convey the interest of their constituency quickly slide behind a veil of obscurity as soon as they arrive on the banks of the Susquehanna.
Representative Mahoney, much to his credit, zealously seeks to change this power dynamic. To effect this much needed change and move toward a true accountabilty in the pursuit of the peoples’ business, Mr. Mahoney will need enormous resolve and strong powers of persuasion.
Pennsylvania politics has demonstrated decade after decade that it is monolithic, slow to change and figuratively winks at transparency. This intransigence is exceedingly expensive for all people of the Commonwealth.
As a constituent of Mr. Mahoney, he has my vote and support and trust in his advocacy and pursuit of true transparency.
The Open Records Bill that came out of committee is a real joke.
However, everything that the Committee failed to do can be easily rectified by amendments from the House floor.
Let’s see who does what!