Pa. lawmakers consider changes to open-records law

Associated Press

HARRISBURG, Pa.

Pennsylvania lawmakers are considering changes to the state’s Right-to-Know Law to make it harder for inmates to seek records and to let governments charge more for commercial requests.

A set of changes made it out of a state Senate committee this week, and the sponsor says he’s hopeful about getting a floor vote this year.

The bill would revamp the timeframe in which appeals are heard by the Office of Open Records and would formalize the office’s authority to privately examine disputed records as part of its appeals process.

The bill also would affect Pennsylvania’s four state-related universities: Penn State, Temple, Pitt and Lincoln. It would give people more information about salaries paid to university employees and provide financial records in searchable online databases.