RESOURCES & LINKS

PaFOIC
DOWNLOADS

For those wishing to study the various versions of Senate Bill 1, the 2007 bill which eventually became Pennsylvania's new ope records law, Act 3 of 2008.
• AS INTRODUCED 03/29/2007
• Senate Amendments 10/22/2007
• State Government Committee 10/29/2007
• Senate Amendments 11/14/2007
• Amended on Second Consideration 11/19/2007
• AS PASSED BY SENATE 11/28/2007
• Referred to House 12/03/2007
• AS PASSED BY HOUSE 12/12/2007
• Senate Amendments to House Amendments 1/28/2008
• Senate Amendments to House Amendments 2/01/2008
• AS PASSED – Final House & Senate Amendments 2/11/2008
• History/Roll Call

Relevant Sites

• OPEN GOVERNMENT GUIDE FOR PENNSYLVANIA — Excellent and comprehensive online legal treatise on the state's access laws. Covers open records, open meetings.
  
  
• PENNSYLVANIA FREE PUBLIC RECORDS DIRECTORY – Statewide public record resources for Pennsylvania. Additional resources by county and topic. From PublicRecords. OnlineSearches.com
  
  

• PENNSYLVANIA NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION LEGAL BLOG — Site discusses legal and legislative issues impacting the news media in Pennsylvania. Hosted by trade association representing more than 300 Pennsylvania newspapers. Its legal department actively promotes the importance of open government in Harrisburg.
  
  
• DEMOCRACY RISING PA — A nonprofit, nonpartisan organization founded in 2004, working for integrity, value, transparency, and citizen confidence in Pennsylvania government.
  
  
• COMMON CAUSE/ PENNSYLVANIA — A non-profit, non-partisan citizens' lobby organization working to strengthen public participation and to make sure the political process serves the public interest.
  
  
• FULL DISCLOSURE and RECORD TRACKER blog — The York Daily Record/Sunday News aggregates state and national open records news, plus posts an open records blog.
  
  
• PENNSYLVANIA CENTER FOR THE FIRST AMENDMENT — Founded in 1992 at the Pennsylvania State University College of Communications, the Center provides educational programs, sponsored speakers, publishes books and articles in the popular and academic press, and serves as a media resource on a wide array of First Amendment topics.
  
  
• LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS of PENNSYLVANIA — Promotes political responsibility through informed and active participation of citizens in government and to act on selected governmental issues.
  
  

• NATIONAL FREEDOM OF INFORMATION COALITION — Alliance of state groups which works to protect the public's right to oversee its government, headquartered at the Missouri School of Journalism. The NFOIC offers more than $200,000 in grants each year, thanks to the support of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

• The FOI Advocate — The newsletter of the National Freedom of Information Coalition. Subscribe to The Advocate Listserv, or read the latest editions online.
• The FOI Advocate Blog — The official blog of the National Freedom of Information Coalition, bringing news of freedom of information developments far and wide …
  
  
• THE FREEDOM FORUM — Nonpartisan foundation based in Washington, D.C., works to preserve free speech, free press, and all First Amendment freedoms.
• The First Amendment Center, a project of the Freedom Forum, works to preserve and protect First Amendment freedoms through information and education. The Web site offers a wealth of information and news about First Amendment issues, including "research packages" that review important Supreme Court cases dealing with the First Amendment.
  
  
• FOI NEWS FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS — The AP regularly reports on free press, FOI and media access issues. Highlights of that coverage on this page.
  
  
• THE OPEN GOVERNMENT GUIDE — Comprehensive online guide to open government law and practice in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Compare the rights of citizens to see information and attend meetings of state and local governments. Published by The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.
  
  
• AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION Office of Intellectual Freedom — Works to implement association's policies on intellectual freedom as embodied in the Bill of Rights, the association's basic policy on free access to libraries and library materials. The goal of the office is to educate librarians and the public about the nature and importance of intellectual freedom in libraries.
  
  
• OPENtheGOVERNMENT.ORG — A coalition including librarians, journalists, labor, good-government and environmental groups that advocates defense of the First Amendment, promoting free expression, strengthening national security and fighting censorship.
• "Are We Safer in the Dark?" — Fun animated look behind the curtain of government secrecy. (3.2 MB Flash video download)
• Secrecy Report Card 2007 — Annual report by OpenTheGovernment.org identifies trends in public access to information. (2.2 MB PDF download)