Act 77 of 2020: Guidelines Published by the Office of Open Records

31 July 2020

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

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Process for Writing Guidelines Pursuant to HB 2463

27 July 2020

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

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Statement on House Bill 2463

25 July 2020

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

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Right-to-Know Law Case Law Index

24 June 2020

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

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Speaking to Students at Robert Morris University

23 April 2020

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

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2020 AORO Survey Results

9 April 2020

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

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2019 OOR Annual Report

8 April 2020

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

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Sunshine Week Webinars Postponed

16 March 2020

The Office of Open Records webinars scheduled to take place this week will be rescheduled.

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The RTKL and the Coronavirus (COVID-19)

12 March 2020

The Office of Open Records has issued the following Advisory regarding Pennsylvania’s Right-to-Know Law and the COVID-19 emergency. Last updated August 3 at 11:48 a.m. *** All counties in “yellow” or “green” status pursuant to the latest guidance published by the Pennsylvania Department of Health should process RTKL requests as they would under normal circumstances. … Continue reading The RTKL and the Coronavirus (COVID-19)

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The Sunshine Act and the Coronavirus (COVID-19)

11 March 2020

The Office of Open Records has issued the following Advisory regarding Pennsylvania’s Sunshine Act and the coronavirus (COVID-19). Last updated June 12 at 6:12 p.m. *** This advisory relates to all meetings governed by the Sunshine Act; it is not limited to emergency meetings. As a starting point, it’s key for agencies to remember that … Continue reading The Sunshine Act and the Coronavirus (COVID-19)

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