passopenrecords.org

The concept is simple – it’s our government and our records.

There will continue to be, as there should, safeguards against release of records that might disclose medical or other personal information that doesn’t belong in the public realm.

But the public will be able, as it also should, to find out more about what government is doing and how it is spending our tax dollars, whether it’s at the level of the state, or at our local borough, township or county.

Transparency is a check on governmental misuse of power, and a basis on which people can have greater confidence that their will is being served. This is, in short, an indispensable step toward affirming a government of the people, by the people and for the people actually exists.

It’s not perfect, but it’s good. Those are the words of Governor Ed Rendell who signed a bill Thursday to make things easier for the public to get a hold of government records.

It’s a change in attitude, that’s how state lawmakers describe the open records bill that was signed by the governor Thursday afternoon.

Want to know how much your township’s road crew workers earn? How about what your school board members ate on the taxpayer’s dime at that recent convention?

While some state and local agencies readily obliged requests from constituents and the media, others did not. Some didn’t supply requested records because of ignorance of the 1957 Open Records Law; others did it out of spite.

An overhauled state Open Records Law signed into law Thursday by Gov. Ed Rendell will go into effect Jan. 1, making it easier for citizens to get those answers and for agencies to understand what records they must turn over.

This is a great moment for open government in a state that is not known for its customer friendliness. The new law will dramatically alter who holds the power when it comes to gaining access to state and local government records.

The next time somebody wants to know the salary of Penn State University’s famed football coach Joe Paterno, it may not require a trip to court.

Yet even with the new rules, Pennsylvanians will have relatively little right to see records that might show them how their largest public campus spends its state money. The same is true of Pennsylvania’s three other state-related campuses – the University of Pittsburgh, Temple University and Lincoln University – which, along with Penn State, share more than $600 million in annual operating subsidies from the state.

“We lobbied aggressively. We said the state-related schools should be treated the same if they want those large amounts of state funds,” said Barry Kauffman, executive director of Common Cause of Pennsylvania. “It’s a battle that we lost.”

Still, despite the outcome regarding state-related campuses, he said it’s hard to equate the transparency achieved under the new records law as a glass half empty. “At least we’re dealing with a glass now, instead of a 50-year-old mug.”

This is not a media issue. Rather, the media have led the way for positive change that will enhance the opportunities for all Pennsylvanians.

“I can’t imagine an issue with a broader scope,” said Deborah Musselman, the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association’s director of government affairs.

That effort is a work in progress.

Right now, we can celebrate greater access to the records of those in government.

Pennsylvania’s new open-records law is being hailed as a brilliant beacon that will far outshine the old law. That won’t be difficult considering the state hasn’t changed the “bulb” for 50 years.

The real test comes next year when the law takes effect and the first appeals are filed for government records. Access and expediency will determine its superiority or mediocrity.

But there are reasons for reservations.

For all the talk about “sunshine,” plenty of clouds linger.

Gov.Rendell signed the new Open Records bill into law. Pennsylvania now has entered the 20th century in this regard.