COSTA LAUDS OPEN RECORDS PASSAGE

HARRISBURG, February 12, 2008 - - State Sen. Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) today said that he was thrilled by the unanimous Senate passage of the state’s “Right-to-Know” law.
This legislation (Senate Bill 1) will give the public greater and timelier access to new and old government records.

“It has been a long and arduous process crafting the best possible bipartisan open records bill,” Costa said. “Once Governor Rendell signs this measure into law, Pennsylvania citizens will have far better access to government information.”

Costa said the amended bill would presume that government records – as well as legislative records -- are public records unless one of the limited exceptions applies.

Other provisions of the legislation would require government agencies to respond to information requests within five days, put more information on the Internet, give citizens stronger appeal rights and toughen the civil penalty against public officials who wrongly withhold a pubic record.

“I would like to commend my colleagues in both chambers of the state legislature for their tireless effort put into this groundbreaking legislation,” Costa said. “The final version of this bill provides Pennsylvanians with a strong bipartisan open records policy that shows our dedication to openness and reform in state government.”
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