COSTA LAUDS SENATE PASSAGE OF OPEN RECORDS BILL

HARRISBURG, Nov. 28, 2007 - - State Sen. Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) today applauded Senate passage of open records legislation that would make all levels of government more open and accessible to the public.

“This measure is a solid step forward in making public records and information more available and accessible to citizens,” Costa said. “As this process moves forward, I will continue to fight for the strongest open records law possible.”

Senate Bill 1, which now heads to the state House of Representatives, passed 48 to 1.
The measure, which would apply to all levels of state and local government, would require public officials to:
· respond to informational requests faster;
· make a wider range of government information; financial records and contracts available on the Internet;
· establish standard, reasonable fees for photocopying documents;
· impose stronger penalties against government officials who wrongly withhold records; and
· give citizens the right to appeal denied requests to a strong independent Open Records Clearinghouse.

The measure also requires Pennsylvania’s four state-related universities (Temple, Penn State, Pitt and Lincoln) to provide certain financial information and list their 25 highest salaried employees.

Costa said Pennsylvania Newspaper Association and other open records advocates have expressed support for Senate Bill 1.

“Today’s open records bill is a strong complement to substantive rule changes my Senate colleagues and I approved when we first reconvened in January,” Costa said. “Those rule changes have already significantly improved legislative openness, integrity and accountability.”

Those rule changes include:
· Session times must be between 8 a.m. and 11 p.m.
· Amendments must be posted to the Internet before being offered on the Senate floor;
· The Senate must wait at least six hours before voting on an amended bill or a conference committee report;
· All roll call votes are posted on the Internet as soon as possible after a vote, but always within 24 hours of a vote;
· Committee votes on bills are posted on the Internet within 48 hours of the vote;
· The Senate’s Legislative Journal – which includes the full text of all floor debates – is posted on the Internet upon Senate approval of the Journal or within 45 days, whichever is earlier; and
· An updated fiscal note must be prepared if a bill is amended after consideration by the Senate Appropriations Committee, if the amendment has a fiscal impact.
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