Sep 2010
Recording conversations without permission is illegal
September 30, 2010 | Filed in: Recordings
| PNA Legal
Q: Can I record an interview without asking
the subject of the interview for permission?
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Opinion: Right to Know issues back in the crosshairs: What's the rush?
Here we go again: bills to amend the 2008 Right
to Know Law are again on the move in our state
capitol, just a few weeks before the November
election, and after a one-year lull in any work
on open records legislation. In the Senate, the
new law's sponsor, Sen. Pileggi, is now
sponsoring Senate Bill
1469, a bill that would exempt
volunteer fire and rescue companies,
significantly cut back on the records
available from government contractors, prevent
the public from viewing bills from sewer and
other public authorities, and charge a member
of the public just to look at a public record.
Just introduced on September 20, it moved
quickly, and is scheduled for a Senate vote
today. Read
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Pa. Senate approves changes to Right-to-Know Law
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A bill approved Wednesday
by the state Senate would make numerous changes
to the Right-to-Know Law, including one that
would allow a local agency to charge a per-page
fee to someone reviewing a public record. The
Senate voted unanimously without debate to send
the 19-page bill to the House.
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Opinion: Court decides you don't need to know
Pennsylvania emerged from the dark ages of public
disclosure two years ago when the Legislature
finally passed an open-records law that lifted
the veil of secrecy from most local governments.
Last week, in an opinion that turns on its head
the notion of public accountability by public
officials, the Commonwealth Court draped that
veil of secrecy back over the state police and,
by extension, all police agencies in
Pennsylvania. Read
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Erie teachers union loses appeal over public records
The teachers union for the Erie School District
has again lost a test case over the public
release of information on the discipline of
educators. The Pennsylvania Labor Relations
Board, in a 3-0 decision, has upheld a ruling
against the Erie Education Association over a
fired guidance counselor, Denice Manus, who
unsuccessfully ran for Erie School Board in the
May 2009 primary. Read
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Pennsbury School District to post salaries on website
The Pennsbury School District will begin, as
early as this week, to post the salaries and
benefits information for each of its 1,540
employees on the school system's website,
officials said. The district's school board, in a
5-4 split vote Thursday night, agreed to do the
posting at www.pennsbury.k12.pa.us based on the
requirements of the state's 2009 Right to Know
Law. Read
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Pa. teachers' union loses address privacy case
September 24, 2010 | Filed in: Open
records | Right to Know
Law | Office of
Open Records | Home
addresses
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania appeals
court on Friday threw out a lawsuit filed by the
state's largest teachers' union that sought to
prevent public disclosure of public school
employees' home addresses. Commonwealth Court
ruled against the Pennsylvania State Education
Association, which sued the state Office of Open
Records to keep it from ordering the release of
the addresses under the state's Right-to-Know
Law. Read
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Zoning hearing board may deliberate in private
Q: A zoning hearing board heard testimony on
a zoning application, took public comment and
then announced that they will “meet privately to
discuss the application and public comment.”
After the private discussion, the board voted
publicly to approve the application. Can they do
that? Read
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Easton Area backs off public comment ban
The Easton Area School Board sidestepped a
growing firestorm lit last week when it banned
public comment at workshop meetings by scrapping
the workshops and reinstating several committees
that will welcome public input. The unanimous
decision to return to the committees — a format
used in the past to discuss items such as
finance, policy and buildings and grounds — came
as community members mobilized to challenge the
public comment ban should the board not change
course. Read
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Pa. Senate leader proposes changes to open records
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) -- Proposed revisions to
Pennsylvania's 2-year-old Right-to-Know Law -
with provisions that would expand access to some
government records and restrict it for others -
passed a legislative committee unanimously
Wednesday and could get a full Senate vote next
week. Read
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Bethlehem man puts council meetings online for all to see
September 21, 2010 | Filed in: Sunshine
Act | Open
meetings
BETHLEHEM — When city council President Robert
Donchez in April said he was working to get
council meetings streamed live on the Internet,
resident Tony Simao didn't think it would happen
anytime soon. Remembering the video camera he
received as a Christmas gift a few years back
that was just gathering dust, Simao decided to
put it to use and record the meetings himself.
"I'm putting it out there so the citizens of
Bethlehem know who they're voting for," said
Simao, who started attending council meetings
last year to advocate saving the old Broughal
Middle School. "Government should always be held
accountable."
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Opinion: Your rights would be limited under amended Right-to-Know Law
Governments in Pennsylvania have been forced to
operate in a more-open manner since the start of
last year because an updated Right-to-Know Law
forces them to make public more documents about
how they spend public money and how they act on
the public's behalf. It was only a matter of
time, though, before lawmakers sought to amend
the law, as governments complained that being
forced to be so open is such a strain.
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Court: State police incident reports not public
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Incident reports filed by
Pennsylvania state troopers do not have to be
released to the public, Commonwealth Court ruled
Thursday in a reversal of the state open records
office. The 6-1 majority ruling said the forms
are covered by an exception to the Right-to-Know
Law that allows agencies to withhold criminal
investigative records.
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Opinion: You should demand open doors
I'm stubborn enough to feel that someone has to
say what every Coplay resident should be saying:
Their borough officials appear to be violating
the spirit and the letter of the open meetings
law, and their solicitor is providing them with
legal cover for doing it. Read
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Public comment period eliminated from Easton Area School Board workshop meetings
In what the school board describes as a
time-saving measure, public comments will no
longer be allowed at Easton Area School Board
workshop meetings. Read
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Right-to-know seminar to be held Sept. 23
"The Need for Transparency in Government and
Knowing Your Rights," a seminar on Pennsylvania's
new right-to-know law, will be presented at 6
p.m. Sept. 23 at the Shickshinny firehouse.
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Blawnox borough balks at further revamping public address rules
September 12, 2010 | Filed in: Sunshine
Act | Open
meetings | Recordings
| Public
comment | Allegheny
Co.
Blawnox Borough will not change its audio and
videotaping rules as it faces probable legal
action from the American Civil Liberties Union.
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Sunshine Act makes committee meeting open to public
Q: A school district voted last night to
adopt a drug testing policy for students. The
policy was never discussed at a public meeting. A
committee that included one board member, parents
and tax payers met privately several times over
the summer to discuss the policy. I was told the
committee meetings weren’t public, because the
board didn’t want to stifle discussion or deter
participation from private citizens. The board
voted to accept the recommendations of the
committee and said nothing more before approving
the new policy. Is this OK? Read
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Griffith alleges commissioners violated state's Sunshine Act
WILKES-BARRE - Luzerne County Controller Walter
L. Griffith Jr. accused county commissioners of
violating the state Sunshine Act to discuss
issues about the sheriff's budget in private
Wednesday. Read
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RTK Law fee schedule doesn't apply to court case files
Q: Does the fee schedule for the new Right to
Know Law apply to criminal case files in the
Magisterial District Courts? Read
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