Opinion: Right to Know Law changes on hold

When the House went into its election recess Wednesday (Oct. 6), it left a number of bills that PNA opposes in committee. Since the passage of Act 3, the Right to Know Law, numerous bills have been introduced to carve out more exceptions from the presumption of access in both chambers, and although none have passed the House, three proposals passed the Senate – all without debate, and with less than a handful of negative votes among them. Read More...

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 More...