HARRISBURG, JAN. 30, 2008: State Sen. Mike Stack today praised the Senate’s unanimous passage of legislation that would give the public greater and more timely access to government records.

“Today the Senate took a step in the right direction toward providing an open, transparent government to all Pennsylvanians,” Stack said. “This is a good day for government, and a good day for the people of Pennsylvania.”

The “Right-to-Know” legislation (Senate Bill 1) creates new access to government records. It retains strong language that provides easier access to a wider range of government records and contracts.

The bill also gives citizens new appeal rights and imposes tougher penalties against officials that wrongly withhold public records.

Most records would be presumed to be open, accessible, available and reviewable under the legislation. It also clarifies the documents that remain confidential while specifying that other information is public.

The bill now moves to the House of Representatives for consideration.

This is the first substantive re-write of the state’s “Right-to-Know Law” in 50 years.

“I want to thank my fellow Democratic and Republican lawmakers who worked on these reforms that will improve the integrity of state government,” Stack said.

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