Pa. budget allots more money to government transparency office
The Pennsylvania state budget just signed by Gov. Tom Corbett includes a 23 percent funding increase for the state Office of Open Records.
Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi (R-Delaware County) included the funding because the office made a strong case that is is falling behind public demands for information, says his spokesman, Eric Arneson
The Office of Open records arbitrates disputes between government agencies and members of the public over which documents should be made available to the public.
“The caseload of the office of open records has increased every year since it opened and they simply need new staff members to keep up with the work,” said Arneson.
The office of open records was created in 2008 with the passage of Pennsylvania’s latest Right to Know Law.
Pileggi is also crafting a set of changes to that law to be re-considered later this year.
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