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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Tim Mahoney |
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To: Editorial/Opinion Page Editor
From: State Rep. Tim Mahoney, D-Fayette
Subject: Pennsylvania taxpayers stand to learn more about how their money is being spent
The state House of Representatives will soon be voting on legislation (H.B. 443) that I introduced, which is intended to help reform state government and address one of the biggest concerns of Pennsylvania residents.
I want to make sure the public will be able to “follow the money” and have more access to public records than ever before.
This week, legislators, with the support of freshmen lawmakers from across the state, adopted several amendments to the bill. Some of those reforms include:
- Removing the provision that records requests could be denied if they were deemed to be burdensome;
- Requiring the state Department of Community and Economic Development to post a list of community revitalization grants on the Internet;
- Changing the director of the Public Records Office from a gubernatorial appointee to an appointee of the state Ethics Commission;
- Allowing attorney fees to be awarded if a court overturns an agency denial of a public records request; and
- Changing the effective date of the bill to July 1, 2008, for provisions related to the Public Records Office and July 1, 2009 for the rest of the bill.
I introduced the measure shortly after taking office. It would, for the first time, put in state law the presumption that state and local government records are open to the public unless otherwise specified, instead of forcing residents to prove they should have access to government records.
My legislation would give Pennsylvanians more power to examine public records and create a new state agency to help the public access those records. My bill also would provide a new appeal process because too many residents’ requests now get ignored or denied.
A new state agency, the Commonwealth Office of Access to Public Records, would serve as a conduit to help people gain access to public records from local and state officials and agencies. The office would actually obtain the information and forward it to the person requesting the material.
In June, the House Speaker’s Commission on Legislative Reform, of which I am a member, unanimously recommended 33 reforms, including my proposal to make government records, including those of the state legislature, open to the public except in limited circumstances. While people are likely to disagree on the exact scope of open records legislation, this bill represents significant progress over current law.
My legislation represents a big first step toward making government records more open to the public and letting the people of Pennsylvania know more about where and how their tax dollars are spent. We must restore openness and integrity to the state legislature. Building on the progress the House of Representatives made earlier this year on reform, passage of my open records legislation would be another major step forward in the right direction.
Sincerely,
State Rep. Tim Mahoney
51st Legislative District
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CONTACT: Roseann R. Cadau Email: racadau@pahouse.net
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