Transparency Zone, July 2022

5 August 2022

Here are some final determinations of note from July of 2022. If a requester is unable to access or print public records available on a website, the agency must print and provide them. 2022-1552 Agency bank account numbers do not constitute exempt personal identification information and agencies cannot redact them on that basis. 2022-1227 Proposal … Continue reading Transparency Zone, July 2022

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New Process for Appeals!

27 July 2022

Might you be involved in a RTKL appeal? If so, we have important news to share. Here’s the headline: Beginning August 1, 2022, all appeals involving Commonwealth agencies under the Governor’s jurisdiction, with a few exceptions, will be processed through the E-File Appeal Portal.  This is the first of three phases as we move ALL … Continue reading New Process for Appeals!

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Video, testimony from Senate State Government Committee hearing

23 June 2022

On June 23, 2022, the OOR testified at a Senate State Government Committee hearing regarding legislation that would amend the Right-to-Know Law. Video of hearing OOR’s Written Testimony

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Transparency Zone, May 2022 Edition

14 June 2022

A review of some interesting final determinations from the past month. Requesting all records from an agency will most likely be denied as insufficiently specific request. 2022-0711 After denying a request, an agency may change course and provide records after an appeal is filed.  2022-1032 An agency must prove a record is protected by the Copyright … Continue reading Transparency Zone, May 2022 Edition

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Attention Open Records Officers

6 June 2022

Good afternoon, happy Monday. This morning, we sent all agency open records officers registered with our office a link to a survey. We hope that all recipients take some time–less than five minutes–to answer the questions. They ask basic information regarding your agency’s experiences with Right-to-Know requests, helping inform the OOR and policy makers. We’ll … Continue reading Attention Open Records Officers

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Transparency Zone, April 2022 Edition

9 May 2022

Some interesting final determinations from April of 2022. Some records are explicitly exempt under individual laws: The Local Taxpayer Bill of Rights exempts records that contain any information arising from tax investigations or audits, including records pertaining to the date on which an audit was commenced, since that would require the agency to reveal that … Continue reading Transparency Zone, April 2022 Edition

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The Transparency Zone, March 2022 Edition

1 April 2022

Today we are unveiling a new monthly feature in our blog:  The Transparency Zone Each month, we will list final determinations of that are of interest, either for their topic or the RTKL nuance highlighted. While not all of them can be about finding buried gold or the secret location of a kangaroo, the OOR … Continue reading The Transparency Zone, March 2022 Edition

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2021 Annual Report

15 March 2022

The Office of Open Records is proud to present its 2021 Annual Report. Read it here. Highlights from this year’s Annual Report include: 2,990 appeals were filed with the Office of Open Records in 2021, the busiest year ever. Of those, 2,384 appeals involved local agencies; 549 involved state agencies. Issued 2,913 decisions, the highest … Continue reading 2021 Annual Report

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