Section 1307 of the Right-To-Know Law requires the Office of Open Records to establish a RTKL Fee Schedule for Commonwealth agencies and local agencies. Section 1310 of the RTKL requires the OOR to review that fee schedule every other year. The OOR last updated the fee schedule in October 2018. Today, our biannual review of … Continue reading OOR Reviewing RTKL Fee Schedule, Seeking Input
This morning, I hosted a webinar about the Right-to-Know Law designed for requesters, including members of the media and anyone interested in accessing government records in Pennsylvania. Thank you to everyone who participated! Here’s the PowerPoint presentation I used: The Right-to-Know Law for Requesters The OOR regularly hosts webinars and in-person training sessions about various … Continue reading RTKL Webinar for Requesters
NOTE: These guidelines are also available as a PDF. The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has challenged public agencies across Pennsylvania to find a way to continue providing access to public records and public meetings during a time when many offices were physically closed and social distancing requirements prevented large gatherings. Among the many lessons learned are … Continue reading Act 77 of 2020: Guidelines Published by the Office of Open Records
House Bill 2463, which will officially be assigned an act number soon, is now law. This law requires the Office of Open Records to “publish guidelines for a Commonwealth agency specifying how the Commonwealth agency is required to respond to a request for records made during a disaster declaration when the Governor has ordered the … Continue reading Process for Writing Guidelines Pursuant to HB 2463
The following is a statement from Erik Arneson, Executive Director of the Office of Open Records: House Bill 2463 would require the Office of Open Records to “publish guidelines for a Commonwealth agency specifying how the Commonwealth agency is required to respond to a request for records made during a disaster declaration when the Governor … Continue reading Statement on House Bill 2463
The Office of Open Records has published the Right-to-Know Law Case Law Index, which summarizes and organizes major court decisions regarding Pennsylvania’s RTKL. I’m very excited to make the RTKL Case Law Index available to the public and hope that it will be a valuable resource for agencies, requesters, and attorneys. It will be updated … Continue reading Right-to-Know Law Case Law Index
Yesterday, I traveled to Robert Morris University near Pittsburgh to speak to Dr. Philip Harold’s journalism class about Pennsylvania’s Right-to-Know Law and Sunshine Act. (Well, “traveled” is not quite accurate… we used Google Meet.) It was a great discussion with fantastic questions, and I appreciate the invitation very much. Here’s the PowerPoint presentation I used: … Continue reading Speaking to Students at Robert Morris University
Earlier this year, the Office of Open Records conducted the fourth statewide survey of Agency Open Records Officers (AOROs), the people directly responsible for responding to Right-to-Know Law requests in Pennsylvania. Some highlights from this year’s survey: We received 1,433 responses from a wide variety of agency types. (Last year, we received 1,054 responses.) Responses … Continue reading 2020 AORO Survey Results
2019 was the second-busiest year ever for the Office of Open Records. That’s one of the facts included in the OOR’s newly released 2019 Annual Report. The OOR is required to “annually report on its activities and findings to the Governor and the General Assembly” (Section 1310(a)(9) of the Right-to-Know Law). Typically, the annual report … Continue reading 2019 OOR Annual Report
The Office of Open Records webinars scheduled to take place this week will be rescheduled.
| Docket | Date | Title | County | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20202136 | 10/28/2020 | Holman v. Southmont Borough | Cambria | |
| 20202124 | 10/28/2020 | Holman v. Conemaugh Township | Somerset | |
| 20201964 | 10/28/2020 | Lloyd v. Pennsylvania Game Commission | Commonwealth | |
| 20201917 | 10/28/2020 | Holman v. Georgetown Borough | Beaver | Withdrawn |
| 20201548 | 10/28/2020 | Bluestine v. Elk Lick Township Police Department | Somerset | Withdrawn |
| 20201483 | 10/28/2020 | Murphy v. Governor’s Office of Administration | Commonwealth | Denied |
| 20202168 | 10/27/2020 | Burton v. Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture | Commonwealth | Dismissed: Premature |
| Date | Organization | |
|---|---|---|
| October 28, 2020, 10:00 AM | The Right-to-Know Law for Law Enforcement Webinar | |
| November 4, 2020, 10:00 AM | Right-to-Know Law Payment Issues Webinar | |
| December 2, 2020, 10:00 AM | Requester and Media Training | |
| December 9, 2020, 10:00 AM | Affidavits: Supporting Exemptions Under the RTKL Webinar |
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