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IMMEDIATE RELEASE Armstrong: Open Records Reform Big Win For Public InterestThe open records reform unanimously approved by the state Senate shapes up as the most important good government change in state law since the modern Sunshine Law took effect in 1987, in the view of Senator Gib Armstrong. “This measure is designed to put real meaning in the phrase ‘the public’s right to know’ and to strike a sensible balance where privacy concerns are involved,” Armstrong said. “Shifting the presumption in law to state that records are open to inspection by the public is the pivotal change. This bill puts power in the hands of the people, enabling Pennsylvanians to get a much better look at what is taking place in state and local governments. A lot of closed doors are being thrown open with this legislation, and taxpayers understand that greater access equals greater accountability,” he added. One example of the commitment to making information more accessible involves establishing an online, searchable database of state contracts. “This bill erases the ability of officials across state and local governments to persist in a ‘just say no’ approach to public requests for records. A lot of records that officials have been reluctant to turn over in years gone by will be readily available once this bill becomes law,” Armstrong noted. “The true test for reform is how well the measure encourages compliance and how well the enforcement provisions work. By taking away what in many places has been nearly complete official discretion over the release of records, by making the appeals process more citizen-friendly, by seeking to avoid constant litigation, we have crafted a law that is both good policy and a good system from a practical standpoint,” he pointed out. The new state-level Office of Open Records will serve several key functions, including offering guidance to citizens caught in a dispute over records, providing training for officials on how to comply with the new standards, and preventing agencies from using excessive charges for records as a means of thwarting citizen requests. The state-related universities – Penn State, Pitt, Temple, and Lincoln – were exempt under the previous law, but now would have to comply with open records requirements.
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