Hiring freeze won't affect Pa. open-records office
October 06, 2008 | Filed in: Office of
Open Records | State
government
By MARTHA RAFFAELE | Associated Press
Writer
HARRISBURG (AP) — Pennsylvania's new open-records chief has Gov. Ed Rendell's permission to hire all the employees she needs, despite a statewide hiring freeze.
The Office of Open Records, established earlier this year under the state's new open-records law, is exempt from the hiring freeze Rendell ordered last month, executive director Terry Mutchler told a Senate panel Monday.
Located in the state Department of Community and Economic Development, the office is expected to have nine employees when hiring is completed, Mutchler said.
Rendell ordered the hiring freeze and other spending cuts to save $200 million, citing the weakening national economy. But the administration also reserved the right to make certain exceptions, Rendell spokesman Chuck Ardo said.
"The governor believes that making the operation of government more transparent is a priority for which it is worth making exception to the hiring freeze and reflects his commitment to keeping reform on the front burner, even in these difficult economic times," Ardo said.
The Senate State Government Committee asked Mutchler to discuss how the office will implement the new law, which is designed to give citizens better access to government records.
The law, which will take effect in January, presumes that all government records beyond a list of exceptions are open to the public and requires government officials to justify any decisions for rejecting records requests. State law previously allowed public access only to a narrow list of records.
The office is developing interim rules and regulations governing how it will mediate disputes and hopes to post them on its Web site by the end of this month, Mutchler said. A permanent set of rules is also in the works, but will require a lengthy state regulatory review before it can take effect, she said.
The office will also have to set copying fees that government agencies can charge. Sen. Mike Brubaker, R-Lancaster, asked Mutchler if those fees would take into account employee time spent making copies. Mutchler said the law was unclear, but the office is "leaning against" requiring citizens to pay for anything beyond the cost of paper and ink.
In Illinois, where Mutchler was an assistant attorney general and the state's public access counselor, complaints about copying fees were the most common, with charges ranging from 5 cents to $100 per page, she said. "It's one of the most abused components
of a right-to-know law," Mutchler said.
• On the Net: Office of Open Records
© 2008 The Associated Press — Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
HARRISBURG (AP) — Pennsylvania's new open-records chief has Gov. Ed Rendell's permission to hire all the employees she needs, despite a statewide hiring freeze.
The Office of Open Records, established earlier this year under the state's new open-records law, is exempt from the hiring freeze Rendell ordered last month, executive director Terry Mutchler told a Senate panel Monday.
Located in the state Department of Community and Economic Development, the office is expected to have nine employees when hiring is completed, Mutchler said.
Rendell ordered the hiring freeze and other spending cuts to save $200 million, citing the weakening national economy. But the administration also reserved the right to make certain exceptions, Rendell spokesman Chuck Ardo said.
"The governor believes that making the operation of government more transparent is a priority for which it is worth making exception to the hiring freeze and reflects his commitment to keeping reform on the front burner, even in these difficult economic times," Ardo said.
The Senate State Government Committee asked Mutchler to discuss how the office will implement the new law, which is designed to give citizens better access to government records.
The law, which will take effect in January, presumes that all government records beyond a list of exceptions are open to the public and requires government officials to justify any decisions for rejecting records requests. State law previously allowed public access only to a narrow list of records.
The office is developing interim rules and regulations governing how it will mediate disputes and hopes to post them on its Web site by the end of this month, Mutchler said. A permanent set of rules is also in the works, but will require a lengthy state regulatory review before it can take effect, she said.
The office will also have to set copying fees that government agencies can charge. Sen. Mike Brubaker, R-Lancaster, asked Mutchler if those fees would take into account employee time spent making copies. Mutchler said the law was unclear, but the office is "leaning against" requiring citizens to pay for anything beyond the cost of paper and ink.
In Illinois, where Mutchler was an assistant attorney general and the state's public access counselor, complaints about copying fees were the most common, with charges ranging from 5 cents to $100 per page, she said. "It's one of the most abused components
of a right-to-know law," Mutchler said.
• On the Net: Office of Open Records
© 2008 The Associated Press — Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.