Posted in Open Records on Jun 15th, 2007 4 Comments »
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 […]
Posted in Open Records on Jun 14th, 2007 1 Comment »
First, the good news. The 24-member Speaker’s Commission on Legislative Reform unanimously voted to recommend expanding the definition of a “public record” to make most government records available to the public. The commission, also unanimously, recommended that the state legislature, which is exempt under the current law, be subject to right-to-know jurisdiction. Moreover, commission members […]
Posted in passopenrecords.org news on Jun 13th, 2007 No Comments »
Our own Jamie Blaine was the Lowman Henry Radio Show along with PNA’s Teri Henning on June 2 to talk about open records reform. Click here for the audio. (The link will directly open your Windows Media Player). There is a news break at the beginning, so please be patient - Jamie and Teri’s segment […]
Posted in Open Records on Jun 13th, 2007 3 Comments »
We recently blogged on the State Agriculture Department’s posting restaurant inspections online. This is a great open records victory that’s been in the works for a long time. The Allentown Morning Call embarked on a series of stories in July 2005 that detailed restaurant inspections, showing that oversight of the state’s restaurants […]
Posted in Open Records News on Jun 12th, 2007 No Comments »
Today, Rep. Kerry Benninghoff R-Bellefonte, wrote a guest editorial in the Centre Daily Times on open records, saying, “Pennsylvania’s open-records law is broken and it must be fixed. Too much of what government does is shielded by an outdated and backward law that hides more than it reveals.”
And the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s editorial board also weighed […]
Posted in Open Records on Jun 12th, 2007 No Comments »
If you are near the Capitol today, come by and visit us in the rotunda . . .There will be ice cream vendors and, of course, hand-outs on why we need open records reform. Just in case you’ve forgotten, here’s why . . . .
Public access and governmental openness are fundamental to democratic government. […]
Posted in Open Records on Jun 11th, 2007 No Comments »
From the Tri-County Sunday in DuBois:
It takes a big man — and an experienced public servant — to change his mind and his position on a high-visibility issue.
State Sen. Dominic Pileggi fits the bill. Pileggi, from about as far away from the Tri-County Area as one can get and still be in Pennsylvania, is the […]
Posted in passopenrecords.org news on Jun 11th, 2007 No Comments »
Teri Henning was a guest on the Commonwealth Foundation’s THE BOX radio show on The State of Reform last week. In addition to Teri, host Matt Brouilette chatted with Barry Kauffman of Common Cause, Russ Diamond of PACleanSweep, and Tim Potts of Democracy Rising PA. You can listen to the show by clicking […]
Posted in Open Records on Jun 11th, 2007 No Comments »
From the June 6th edition of the Philadelphia City Paper:
The Holdup
How one senator is trying to prevent the free flow of information.
by Charles N. Davis
Congress, apparently content to explore ever new depths in public disapproval, is on the verge of having a single member derail the most meaningful reform of the federal Freedom of […]
Posted in Open Records on Jun 9th, 2007 No Comments »
We have created a handy guide to the open records legislation that’s pending here in PA. It’s the tab called “Pending Legislation.” Check it out!
Also, coming soon, we’re working on a new page that lists the legislators who support open records.