Burns: DHS stalls a second time on providing public information
Delay stokes determination to get answers on Assistance Office relocation
Rep. Frank Burns January 18, 2024 | 11:55 AM
EBENSBURG, Jan. 18 – A deep dive by state Rep. Frank Burns into the relocation of the Cambria County Assistance Office from downtown Johnstown to Upper Yoder Township has yielded a second delay by the state Department of Human Services.
DHS has invoked a 30-day extension to answer a Right-to-Know Law request from Burns, D-Cambria, who is seeking documents and emails related to the Hiram G. Andrews Center end of the move.
“Your request is under legal review to determine whether a requested record is a ‘public record’ for purposes of the RTKL” was one reason DHS gave for needing the extension, the other being, “The extent or nature of the request precludes a response within the required time period.”
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“People deserve answers on why this office and its 40-plus jobs are being shipped out of downtown Johnstown, and I’m determined to get them.” – State Rep. Frank Burns
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Burns was given the same answer to his prior RTK request seeking the current Cambria County Assistance Office lease and any related documents, along with the legally mandated DHS guidelines for compliance with the state Downtown Location Law.
“It’s ludicrous for DHS to need a ‘legal review’ to determine if anything related to the renovation work being done at the Hiram G. Andrews Center – which is state-owned – is a public record,” Burns said of the most recent delay. “Similarly, any reasonable person would assume that all documents related to this move are already on file, and that simple keyword searches of DHS emails could nail down within a few days the information I’m seeking.”
Burns said he doesn’t see why there wasn’t immediate DHS compliance in providing at least some of this information he asked for:
- Any and all documents, including, but not limited to emails, regarding the Cambria County Assistance Office move to the Hiram G. Andrews Center.
- Any and all documents including emails pertaining to any fee agreements or lease information associated with the move to the Hiram G. Andrews Center, along with renovation work orders, plus any and all associated costs of any current or future renovations being done for the move of Cambria County Assistance Office to the Hiram G. Andrews Center.
- Any and all documents including emails between DHS and CamTran pertaining to bus transportation for people affected by the Cambria County Assistance Office's move to the Hiram G. Andrews Center.
Given the straightforward nature of both his RTK requests, Burns said he sincerely hopes that his attempts to obtain public information aren’t being thwarted by unnecessary delays.
“As a state representative, I have a job to do on behalf of the people I represent – even if that means stepping on the toes of a state agency,” Burns said. “People deserve answers on why this office and its 40-plus jobs are being shipped out of downtown Johnstown, and I’m determined to get them.”