Office of Open Records
II: Terry Mutchler: Right-to-know advocate and arbiter
December 23, 2008
In high school, Terry Mutchler's tenacity could be measured in broken field-hockey sticks, including the time she broke her wooden stick in the heat of a game and had to use one belonging to her coach. Read More…
II: Q & A – What is the Pa. Office of Open Records?
December 23, 2008
THE WATCHDOG: New rules are open gift for Pa.
December 21, 2008
Citizens, researchers, reporters and just plain inquisitive folks will get a belated Christmas gift when a new law takes effect Jan. 1 opening more government information to public eyes. The state's revised Right-to-Know law forces more agencies, plus state lawmakers and judges, to release records. It brings Pennsylvania in line with many other states. Read More…
Pa. open-records chief shows independent spirit
December 06, 2008
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Weeks before the state Office of Open Records opens for business, it's clear that office director Terry Mutchler is not going to simply carry the water for Gov. Ed Rendell — the man who appointed her and is technically her boss. Read More…
Agencies to charge for access to records
November 29, 2008
Gov. Ed Rendell, who enacted the state's expanded open-records law with his signature, might be one of the first to violate it if state agencies follow a directive his office has issued. Read More…
On Jan. 1, a new day opens with public access to records
November 26, 2008
Those municipalities and school districts that habitually make it difficult for citizens to obtain information about their taxpayer-supported enterprises face a day of reckoning on Jan. 1. That's when a new Right-to-Know Law takes effect, with this fundamental change: All records will be considered public documents unless specifically exempted. Read More…
Pennsylvania sets fee for copying public records
November 26, 2008
HARRISBURG — People seeking most government records will soon pay no more than 25 cents a page under a new state policy. The fee system, set by the newly created Office of Open Records, will apply to all state agencies and municipal governments when the state's Right to Know Law takes effect Jan. 1. Read More…
Pa. record copies limited to a quarter a page
November 22, 2008
HARRISBURG (AP) — Starting next year, citizens seeking copies of most public records in Pennsylvania won't be charged more than a quarter a page, under an order that the state's open-records chief plans to issue Monday.
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Pennsylvania officials fret over beginning of open records law
October 07, 2008
As state officials prepare to oversee a new open records law, senators sought assurances Monday that the law will not burden local governments or lead to more identity theft. 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…
