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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Josh Shapiro |
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Shapiro secures passage of improved Right-to-Know Law
HARRISBURG, Feb. 12 – State Rep. Josh Shapiro, D-Montgomery, who led efforts in the House to secure passage of a comprehensive reform of the Right-To-Know Law, hailed its passage today.
On Monday evening, the House voted unanimously for S.B. 1, which improves Pennsylvania’s current Right-To-Know law, considered among the worst in the nation. The Senate passed the legislation today. It now heads to the governor, who is expected to sign it soon.
Pennsylvania’s Right-To-Know Law has not been updated in 50 years. Senate Bill 1 reforms the current law by establishing the presumption that all government records at the local and state level are public. This enhancement puts the burden on the government to deny a request for documents on a limited basis, as opposed to placing the burden of proof on the public. The new law will also subject the General Assembly to the Right-To-Know Law for the first time.
“Today, Pennsylvania went from having the worst open records law in the country to one of the best that can be a model for other states to follow," Shapiro said. "After more than a year of bipartisan work, we can say with certainty that the people of Pennsylvania are the big winners today as we made their government more open and accountable."
Shapiro, who co-chairs the Speaker's Commission on Legislative Reform, pointed out that with passage of the new Right-To-Know bill, all but one of the more than 30 recommendations of the commission have been passed. The remaining recommendation -- campaign finance reform -- is currently being considered by the House State Government Committee.
Shapiro is deputy speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and represents the 153rd Legislative District in Montgomery County. For more information about Shapiro, please visit www.pahouse.com/Shapiro.
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