Jan 2009
NEWS ON OPEN GOVERNMENT ISSUES | Feb 2009 | Dec 2008

A lively first month for Pa. Open Records Office

January 31, 2009 | Filed in: Office of Open Records | Terry Mutchler | New RTK Law
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania's fledgling Office of Open Records, defender of the public's interest in a transparent government, turns one month old this weekend. Read More...

Opinion – Reform revived: Pennsylvania Republicans seek good government

January 28, 2009 | Filed in: Open records | State government
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...

Opinion: Obama comes out for open government

January 25, 2009 |
We've written a lot about open government at the state and local level, including the need to update the Pennsylvania open records law. But one of the orders issued by President Barack Obama shortly after taking office is worth noting in this space as well. Read More...

Judge tosses suit claiming Williams Township, Chrin met illegally

January 24, 2009 | Filed in: Sunshine Act | Open meetings | Williams Twp
A judge has tossed a lawsuit by a Williams Township grass-roots group that claimed supervisors illegally met behind closed doors with representatives of the local landfill. Read More...

Pa. Supreme Court rules Express-Times should have access to 2005 police shooting autopsy report

January 23, 2009 | Filed in: Autopsy reports
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Thursday said county coroners should make autopsy reports public in a ruling that stems from a lawsuit challenging the Lehigh County coroner's refusal to release his report for Easton police officer Jesse Sollman.
Read More...

Autopsy reports are public, high court declares

January 23, 2009 | Filed in: Autopsy reports
Autopsy records should be available to the public, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Thursday in a Lehigh Valley case. Read More...

Residents' lawsuit to block Williams Township landfill expansion tossed

January 23, 2009 | Filed in: Sunshine Act | Open meetings | Williams Twp
EASTON — The almost year-long legal battle between Williams Township residents and their supervisors over closed-door meetings ended Thursday when a Northampton County judge dismissed the case in a decision that will allow negotiations over a proposed landfill expansion to move forward.
Read More...

Top Pa. court: Autopsy reports public

January 23, 2009 | Filed in: Autopsy reports
HARRISBURG — Autopsy records should be generally available to the public and should be released by county coroners, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled yesterday. Read More...

Judge hears testimony on Chrin deal / Suit: Williams Twp. violated Sunshine Act

January 22, 2009 | Filed in: Sunshine Act | Open meetings | Williams Twp
For more than year, Williams Township supervisors and top officials met behind closed doors over Chrin Brothers landfill, one of the township's largest sources of revenue. They kept no minutes, took no notes, and never explicitly told the public that representatives from the company also had seats at the table. Read More...

Your RTK: Warning letters go out to enforce Pa. smoking ban

January 22, 2009 | Filed in: RTK request stories
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania's Department of Health is sending warnings to establishments that may have violated the new statewide ban on smoking in most public places, a newspaper reported Thursday. Read More...

Pennsylvania's Republican senators renew push for reform

January 22, 2009 | Filed in: State government | SB 101 Sunshine Act Amendment | SB 107 Salary Information Act | SB 105 Taxpayer Transparency Act
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 | Filed in: State government | SB 101 Sunshine Act Amendment | SB 107 Salary Information Act | SB 105 Taxpayer Transparency Act
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 | Filed in: State government | SB 107 Salary Information Act | SB 105 Taxpayer Transparency Act
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 | Filed in: State government | SB 101 Sunshine Act Amendment | SB 107 Salary Information Act | SB 105 Taxpayer Transparency Act
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...

Advocates praise Obama move on government disclosure

January 21, 2009 | Filed in: FOIA
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama's move to change how open records laws are interpreted is being viewed by advocacy groups as a significant reversal of the Bush administration's policy of government secrecy. Read More...

President Obama's Memo on Freedom of Information Act

January 21, 2009 | Filed in: FOIA
A democracy requires accountability, and accountability requires transparency. As Justice Louis Brandeis wrote, "sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants." In our democracy, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which encourages accountability through transparency, is the most prominent expression of a profound national commitment to ensuring an open Government. Read More...

Many citizens use open-records law for things large and small

January 21, 2009 | Filed in: New RTK Law | PaFOIC | Radnor Twp
On any given day Kim de Bourbon is manning the discussion boards on the Pennsylvania Freedom of Information Coalition Web site, answering questions like “What recourse is available if a county or the state refuses to respond to a request?” or “Do community colleges and state-owned universities have to answer requests for number of faculty and salaries?” Read More...

THE WATCHDOG: The tale of the tape in Chalfont

January 18, 2009 |
For now, Chalfont Borough Council will continue recording its meetings. Read More...

Legislature sharing information online

January 15, 2009 | Filed in: State government | SB 107 Salary Information Act | SB 105 Taxpayer Transparency Act
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...

Municipalities, school districts prepared for new open records law

January 14, 2009 | Filed in: New RTK Law | Radnor Twp
As of January 1, 2009, school districts, municipalities, and state agencies are officially responding to requests for information differently. Along the Main Line, governing bodies have crafted new policies and adopted new procedures that align with the new Right to Know law, which was signed into law last year and went into effect two weeks ago.
Read More...

Mutchler encourages activists on records law, with caveats

January 14, 2009 | Filed in: Terry Mutchler | New RTK Law
Terry Mutchler, executive director of the new Pennsylvania Office of Open Records, told politicians, journalists and activists yesterday the new open-records law affords them unprecedented access to government documents. But she said that access comes only if Pennsylvanians demand their public officials obey the statute’s spirit. Read More...

Halifax Township supervisors order study of building fees

January 13, 2009 | Filed in: RTK request stories | Halifax Twp
The Patriot-News has filed a right-to-know request to obtain how much money in permit fees Halifax Township has collected from developers since a 2005 ordinance was passed, Read More...

THE WATCHDOG: Chalfont on open records: No record, no problem

January 11, 2009 |
If you're an advocate of open government, you'll want to attend Tuesday's council meeting in Chalfont, central Bucks County. Read More...

City police reports an issue under open records law

January 10, 2009 | Filed in: New RTK Law | Open records | Police reports | Office of Open Records | Terry Mutchler
Should you walk into York's City Hall and glimpse a new sign that refers to the revamped Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law, pay attention to the wording that mentions the availability of police records. Read More...

Pa. open-records law takes effect today

January 01, 2009 | Filed in: New RTK Law | Terry Mutchler
HARRISBURG - As she crisscrossed the state during the summer to train public officials in the nuances of the state's new open-records law, Terry Mutchler's message boiled down to a single, defining guideline. Read More...