passopenrecords.org

While newspapers around the state have expressed differences of opinion about how good Senate Bill 1 really is – and whether and how it can be improved – they are coalescing around one simple notion: this process has gone on for over a year, and each day it lingers in the legislature, the more potential damage can be done to it.

Some of those voices:

• The Citizens’ Voice in Wilkes Barre: Free access to government documents is an issue that certainly engages the news media more than the public at large. But the new bill, passed by the Senate last week, is as important to the average individual as any pending legislation in Harrisburg.

Why should the public care about open-records legislation? Two reasons.

Number one, open-records laws make it easier for individuals to deal with municipal, county and state officials who are often reluctant, no matter what the law says, to produce legitimately public documents.

Number two, open-records laws allow the news media to perform their important watchdog function. The controversy over the misuse of debit cards by Luzerne County officials and employees that has roiled county government for the last three months came to light only because The Citizens’ Voice county reporter Michael P. Buffer, armed with the open-records law, was able to push county officials for access to records, receipts and reimbursement information.

We urge the state House to pass the new open-records bill this week.

• The Patriot-News in Harrisburg: Senate bill would strengthen Pennsylvanians’ right to know

Pennsylvania stands on the threshold of writing into law the idea that the records of the people’s government belong to you, the people.

. . . [T]he citizens of Pennsylvania for too long have been the victim of one of the least open governmental systems, both at the state and local levels. This bill, in its current form, would go a long way toward changing that for the better.

We urge the House to take the lead of the Senate and get this bill as written to the governor’s desk for his prompt signature. Tweaking it toward “perfection,” as some are urging, would open SB 1 to other changes that could weaken it, and a dispute over language between the House and Senate could throw the bill into limbo and well jeopardize its passage during this session.

It is time the commonwealth takes a major step bringing transparency and openness to your government.

• The Daily Item in Sunbury: It is not easy to monitor government agencies in Pennsylvania. The commonwealth’s feeble Right-to-Know Law dictates that many government documents remain unavailable for public review. Taxpayers have suffered repeatedly because of it.

Change is near.

But the change would be most noticeable in Harrisburg. Local governments have displayed varying degrees of openness. Harrisburg’s politicos have been among the most wary of public scrutiny. That fondness for back-room dealing has fed into public distrust. The senators can take a huge step toward restoring taxpayers’ faith in state government. Residents will trust politicians and bureaucrats when they can see the fruits of their labor. The reforms under consideration would do just that.

• The Sentinel in Carlisle: We’re almost there.

Considering that earlier versions of the bill had such wide-open loopholes as an exception from disclosure for all e-mailed correspondence, we’re gratified to see that the bill has made so much progress. It’s time, however, for this process to reach a conclusion, and we hope the House’s deliberations will lead us to a bill the governor can sign sooner rather than later.

• The Post-Gazette in Pittsburgh: It’s time for a new open records law in Pennsylvania. Not next week. Not next month. Now.

Here are some of the important ways Senate Bill 1 differs from the current law, all reasons for House members to pass this law and send it on for Gov. Ed Rendell’s signature:

– Records of the Legislature, executive and judicial branches, county and municipal agencies would be presumed open. This is the most significant change because it says the public is entitled to records of government and, if access is denied, officials must prove why that’s justified.

– It’s the first time the Legislature would be covered by the state’s open records law, including salary and expense information, audits, staff manuals and written policies, proposed regulations and other data.

– It shortens the response time for agencies to five days, imposes new reporting requirements for state-related universities and covers community colleges, the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency and the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association.

The bill is not perfect. . . .Despite the bill’s broad approach to openness, it is careful to balance privacy rights. For the House to reject it now would be completely unreasonable.

• The Centre Daily Times in State College: Pennsylvania is on the verge of something remarkable. For the first time in many years, the state open records law, called the Right to Know Law, is close to being significantly improved.

What would a new law mean for the average Pennsylvania resident? It depends. If you care about government spending and accountability, it could mean a lot.

The bill fundamentally changes the structure of Pennsylvania’s Right to Know Law.
Is the bill perfect? Of course not.

Could the bill be improved? Yes.

But does it advance the interests of Pennsylvania residents? We believe it does.

More tomorrow.