The state Office of Open Records ruled recently that publicly released time response logs from York County's 911 Center must include where police or fire units were headed when they were dispatched. The office made the ruling Friday in response to an appeal by the York Daily Record/Sunday News. More than two months ago, the Daily Record/Sunday News asked the county for the logs with addresses. Read More…

The state has ruled that Lancaster County must supply autopsy records in two cases to the Lancaster New Era. In addition, the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records has admonished the county for not complying with the state's Right to Know law when it rejected the newspaper's request.
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It took no time at all, only about three months, for elected Pennsylvania officials to mount a highly significant challenge to the state's fledgling Right-to-Know Law. Most observers expected a push against what had been hailed by lawmakers last year as a comprehensive defense against efforts to keep the public in the dark, especially the practice of conducting secret deliberations before springing a decision upon citizens left to wonder how they got there. And, indeed, it appears Pennsylvania's reputation as a Land of Secrets remains in intact. Read More…

The state's new Office of Open Records has been open four months and already it has received 278 requests for help in resolving disputes over what constitutes a government record. So far, the office has issued decisions in 75 of those disputes involving such entities as fire companies, school districts, parking authorities and two dozen state agencies. Three of those decisions were appealed to county courts. One recent decision could become one of the first court tests of the revised Right to Know Law and could be of interest to anyone who doesn't want to travel far to review government records. Read More…

The intent of Pennsylvania's Right to Know Law is clear: Public information should be available to the public in a timely fashion. But already we have a legal challenge on what exactly "available" means. Read More…

In one of the first tests of a new Pennsylvania law intended to make state records more readily available to the public, the State Department of Environmental Protection was ordered on Tuesday to copy and mail out documents to people who request them, rather than force people to come to its offices in Harrisburg. Read More…

In a disappointing decision, on March 23, 2009, the Office of Open Records found that a draft policy that was distributed to a school board for deliberation at a public meeting – and approved at that meeting – was not a public record. Read More…

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The Pennsylvania Newspaper Association has sharply criticized the state Open Records Office for a ruling that the group says would allow school boards and other agencies to conduct more public business behind closed doors. Read More…

The Office of Open Records (OOR) has dealt a blow to open government, apparently finding that a budget discussion among a quorum of a school board was not "deliberation" for Right to Know Law purposes because it was, in the words of the OOR, an "informal" discussion. If this decision stands, it could have terrible repercussions for the public's right to know. Read More…

After reviewing the first “Final Determinations” issued by the Office of Open Records (OOR), we see some lessons in them for requesters and agencies. Not surprisingly, the decisions also raise some questions and concerns. Here are our thoughts on the first round of decisions. Read More…

Since February 19, Pennsylvania’s Office of Open Records has issued 11 “final determinations” on open records disputes in the Commonwealth, and the results are mostly encouraging. These decisions are binding, unless appealed within 30 days. It is highly likely that some of these decisions will be appealed. Read More…

The Office of Open Records denied a borough resident's request for records of inspections of two privately owned properties. The office also rejected an appeal from Quakertown School District Read More…

The new state Office of Open Records ruled on six appeals, offering access to government employee dates of birth, names of government contractor employees and school board committee reports. Read More…

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Names of employees of government contractors and birth dates of government employees are public information, the state Office of Open Records has ruled in some of the first appeals under Pennsylvania's new Right-to-Know Law. Read More…