State government
2009 NEWS ON OPEN GOVERNMENT ISSUES

Opinion: First, Obama's transparency directive. Gov. Rendell: You next?

December 17, 2009 |
So, Gov. Rendell, did you see what President Obama did the other day? Will you follow his lead in Pennsylvania? Obama told federal agencies to be more transparent, publish more data, and in fact, set deadlines for them to put as-yet unreleased information online. I wanted to ask Rendell if he'd do the same in Pennsylvania. Read More...

Opinion: Softwear snafu delays public Web postings

December 13, 2009 |
HARRISBURG - An effort to post a list of 66 Senate contracts and leases on an open-records Web site has run into lengthy delays. Last August, Senate officials said they hoped to have the taxpayer-funded contracts accessible on the state Treasury contracts Web site within a matter of days. These contracts fall under posting requirements in the state open records law which took effect earlier this year. That remains an elusive goal at year's end. Read More...

Open records funding boosted

December 09, 2009 |
Despite a belated state budget that included numerous funding cuts, the state Office of Open Records has been given a significant funding increase. State Rep. Timothy S. Mahoney, D-South Union Township, who spearheaded passage of the new open records law that took effect on Jan. 1, said the important office received a $240,000 increase in funding under the current budget, boosting the office's allocation to $1.25 million. Read More...

Pa.'s new Right-To-Know law hits some snags

May 05, 2009 |
No one said implementing Pennsylvania's new Right-To-Know Law was going to be easy. There have been some problems in the four months since the law took effect. Read More...

Opinion: Sun still not shining in state Capitol

April 19, 2009 |
This was supposed to be a year of sunlight in Harrisburg, with the new open-records law taking effect and a state open-records czar and her staff working to make sure citizens have access to their government. But a funny thing has happened in the Keystone state, leaving us wondering whether there’s been any difference in the same old, same old way of operating at the state Capitol. Read More...

Opinion: A foot in the door

April 18, 2009 |
Pennsylvania's new open-records law has been anything but open since it took effect in January. And the blame starts at the top. Read More...

Opinion: Records czar out of loop

April 14, 2009 |
Unfortunately, secrecy is standard operating procedure in Pennsylvania government. It's a bad habit that you can't quit just by signing a bill. You have to go cold turkey and actually quit being secretive. Read More...

Opinion: Records law applies to all levels of government

April 13, 2009 |
At best, Gov. Rendell's insistence upon written open records communications amounts to an unnecessary increase in bureaucratic inefficiency. At worst, it indicates heel-digging resistance to a progressive new law signed by Rendell himself. Read More...

Pa.'s public-records czar faults Rendell on openness

April 10, 2009 |
HARRISBURG — The Rendell administration appears to be going out of its way to block public access to government documents. At least that is the impression left on the state's new open-records czar. Read More...

PHEAA foundation chief fired, board blasts expenses

March 03, 2009 |
Michael Hershock was given an ultimatum Friday to resign or be fired from what is perhaps the most lucrative part-time job in state government. The president and CEO of the nonprofit Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation chose to be fired over a dispute about travel expenses. Foundation board members became aware of the expenses when they reviewed records requested by The Patriot-News through the state's new Right to Know Law. Read More...

OFF THE FLOOR: Corbett, Scarnati, Rendell, McCall deserve reform kudos

February 27, 2009 |
The reform movement in Pennsylvania owes a debt to the Pennsylvania Bar Association: If the state bar hadn’t royally infuriated Attorney General Tom Corbett, we might still be without a functioning lobbyist expenditure disclosure law. Read More...

Review panel OKs PA lobbyist disclosure rules

February 26, 2009 |
HARRISBURG – Proposed regulations governing compliance with Pennsylvania's lobbyist disclosure law received the green light Thursday from a state regulatory panel that had rejected a version last fall.
Read More...

Lobbying law passes IRRC after November rejection

February 26, 2009 |
HARRISBURG – After Attorney General Tom Corbett today asked the state’s top regulatory review body to ignore its staff, reverse its November decision and approve Pennsylvania’s lobbying expenditure disclosure law, the panel did just that. Read More...

Rulings keep secret Pa. lawmaker-lobbyist contacts

February 24, 2009 |
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Appeals officers for both chambers of the Pennsylvania Legislature said Tuesday the new Right-to-Know Law does not give the public the right to review correspondence between lawmakers and lobbyists. Read More...

Secrecy & Favoritism: Auditor General draft report slams administration handling of tech contracts

February 11, 2009 |
Auditor General Jack Wagner is accusing Gov. Ed Rendell's administration of hiding the details of nearly $600 million in technology contracts with one company and is suggesting abuses ranging from vendor favoritism to no-bid contracts. Read More...

Findings test new open-records law

February 11, 2009 |
Representatives of the state auditor general's office said they found the Rendell administration's commitment to government transparency lacking when they sought records about information-technology contracts awarded to Deloitte Consulting from 2004 through 2007.
Read More...

House Republicans question timing of publication of Democrats' rules

February 03, 2009 |
HARRISBURG - House Republicans are angered about the after-hours posting Monday night of rules resolutions sponsored by House Democrats. Read More...

Opinion – Reform revived: Pennsylvania Republicans seek good government

January 28, 2009 |
As we trudge toward the end of January, many of our New Year's resolutions already have been broken. But state Senate Republicans last week revived their efforts to change the old habits of the Legislature. Read More...

Pennsylvania's Republican senators renew push for reform

January 22, 2009 |
HARRISBURG -- Senate Republicans launched a new effort Wednesday to enact 10 reform bills that died last term. Read More...

 GOP reform bills would post state spending on Web

January 22, 2009 |
HARRISBURG -- Senate Republicans envision a searchable database on state spending to allow people to look up specific purchases by agencies and across state government. Read More...

State GOP senators pushing 'legislative reform bills'

January 22, 2009 |
HARRISBURG -- State Sen. Jane Orie, R-McCandless, says she wants to end "old-fashioned, pay-to-play politics" by stopping politically connected consultants from getting no-bid state contracts. Read More...

Senate GOP reintroduce reform measures

January 22, 2009 |
HARRISBURG – Senate Republicans reintroduced a package of 10 reform bills Wednesday, 9 of which were approved by the Senate but not the House last session. Read More...

Legislature sharing information online

January 15, 2009 |
From streaming video of debates to listings of obscure committee votes, the state Legislature has kept pace with a national trend and put more information online in recent years. Yet some watchdogs and lawmakers say the Legislature can do more to satisfy an Internet-savvy public in an era when government accountability counts.
Read More...

Hiring freeze won't affect Pa. open-records office

October 06, 2008 |
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. Read More...