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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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CONTACT: Ann Collis |
State Rep. Bryan Lentz |
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Lentz to introduce bill strengthening public’s right to know
SWARTHMORE, April 13 – State Rep. Bryan Lentz, D-Delaware, prompted by recent events regarding officials in Haverford Township, said he will introduce a bill that would shed more light on how public officials conduct business and make decisions on taxpayers’ behalf.
Under Lentz’s proposed legislation, the Sunshine Act, or the open meetings law, would be revised to strengthen criminal penalties, add civil and administrative enforcement tools, and treat intentional misrepresentations and intentional failures to disclose information more harshly.
The revisions would affect all governments, boards, and public authorities and agencies in the state.
“The Sunshine Act is useless if it is not enforced and, too often, violations of the law go unchecked because the public has no idea that a meeting ever took place,” Lentz said. “This legislation would send a strong message that ignoring the public’s right to be informed, particularly intentional efforts to conceal, will not be acceptable anymore.”
The Pennsylvania Sunshine Act requires public agencies to take all official actions and conduct all deliberations leading up to official actions at public meetings – allowing the public to witness agency decisions and, with limited exceptions, the discussions leading up to those decisions.
Last week a statewide investigative grand
jury looking into corruption in Haverford Township issued its report detailing
how township commissioners mishandled the sale and redevelopment of former
state hospital property. One commissioner has been charged with bribery and
other offenses.
The grand jury concluded the Haverford investigation by adding a series of
recommendations for improving Pennsylvania's Sunshine Act. Those
recommendations are included in Lentz’s legislation.
“The Sunshine Act should be strengthened,” Lentz said. “The public is fed up with a lack of transparency in local government. It is my hope that this proposal would end the practice of informing the public as an afterthought. To protect the public interest, we need rules in place to effectively enforce this law.”
Lentz, who serves on the Local Government Committee, decided to introduce the legislation after receiving the support of the committee’s chairman, state Rep. Robert Freeman, D-Northampton.
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