Over the summer, we conducted a survey of Agency Open Records Officers (AOROs) to get a sense of the volume and complexity of the Right-to-Know Law (RTKL) requests they’ve received in 2021 and 2020. We received responses from 983 AOROs across the state. As in recent years, roughly a third of agencies report receiving more … Continue reading 2022 AORO Survey Data
Many records related to a Hepatitis A outbreak at a restaurant are protected under the Disease Prevention and Control Law. 2022-1414 If records are presented to a quorum of a board, an agency may not withhold the records by claiming they reflect internal, predecisional deliberations. 2022-0923 A request for county records related to the 2020 … Continue reading Transparency Zone: August 2022
At the request of the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association, the Office of Open Records today issued an advisory opinion regarding an agency creating a policy limiting the number of Right-to-Know Law requests made. The advisory opinion can be found here.
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
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!
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
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
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
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
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
| Docket | Date | Title | County | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20222022 | 10/03/2022 | Timothy Lester v. Gallagher Township | Clinton | Granted |
| 20221885 | 10/03/2022 | Ed Mahon and Spotlight PA v. Pennsylvania Department of Health | Commonwealth | Partially Granted/Partially Denied |
| 20221860 | 10/03/2022 | Jaclyn Kurin and Abolitionist Law Center v. Allegheny County | Allegheny | Withdrawn |
| 20221735 | 10/03/2022 | Ed Mahon and Spotlight PA v. Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (PHRC) | Commonwealth | Denied |
| 20221732 | 10/03/2022 | Ed Mahon and Spotlight PA v. Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (PHRC) | Commonwealth | Denied |
| 20221969 | 09/30/2022 | Kenneth Layng and 1036497586 v. Centre County | Centre | Denied |
| 20221906 | 09/30/2022 | Matthew Haverstick and Kleinbard LLC v. Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board | Commonwealth | Withdrawn |
| Date | Organization | |
|---|---|---|
| October 5, 2022, 10:00 AM | RTKL for Law Enforcement | |
| October 6, 2022, 11:30 AM | PA State Association of Township Supervisors Regional Training | |
| October 11, 2022, 11:30 AM | PA State Association of Township Supervisors Regional Training | |
| October 13, 2022, 12:00 PM | PNA Annual Media Lawyers' Conference | |
| October 19, 2022, 10:00 AM | Laws That Protect Information Webinar on October 19th | |
| October 25, 2022, 10:25 AM | PA State Association of Township Supervisors Regional Training |
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