|
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
|
State
Rep. Tim Mahoney |
|
House adopts Mahoney amendment to open records bill
HARRISBURG, Dec. 10 – State Rep. Tim Mahoney, D-Fayette, said the Pennsylvania House of Representatives has unanimously adopted a comprehensive amendment he introduced to Senate legislation that would improve Pennsylvania’s Open Records Law. Mahoney’s amendment was adopted by the House unanimously.
Mahoney’s amendment to S.B. 1 would presume that the records of all branches of state and local government in Pennsylvania are subject to public scrutiny, unless they fall within a limited number of exceptions or are protected by other federal or state laws.
The legislation would also create an office within the state Department of Community and Economic Development to help residents of Pennsylvania access public records and appeal the open records decisions of state and local agencies.
“This is a people’s bill,” Mahoney said. “For far too long, people haven’t had the slightest idea about how their tax dollars are being spent because it has been too hard to get that information. We need transparency so people can feel comfortable about where and how their tax dollars are being spent.”
The Fayette County lawmaker’s legislation would exempt fewer documents and impose stricter enforcement provisions than the more limited, original Senate bill.
Shortly after being sworn into office, Mahoney introduced open records legislation to give state residents more access to government records and to create an agency to help the public access those records.
In June, the House Speaker’s Commission on Legislative Reform unanimously recommended 33 legislative reforms, including Mahoney’s proposal that state and local records should be presumed open to public review. Mahoney is the lone freshman Democrat on the reform commission.
The House could vote on its version of S.B. 1 and send it back to the Senate for concurrence as soon as this week.
###rrc/2007/agh
l:\print\releases\govtrecords.051
|
CONTACT: Roseann R. Cadau |