HARRISBURG, January 30, 2008 - - State Sen. Jim Ferlo (D-Pittsburgh) today applauded the state Senate’s unanimous passage of the open records bill. 

The legislation (Senate Bill 1) would give the public greater and timelier access to government records.
“I want commend my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for their tireless efforts to pass this bill to make our state government more accountable,” Ferlo said.  “This legislation is a solid, bipartisan effort that would undoubtedly make government more transparent and give our citizens greater access to all levels of government.”

Ferlo said that under this legislation, most records would be presumed to be open, accessible, available, and reviewable.

“This bill contains all of the major components that the Senate passed back in November, but this compromise creates new access to government records,” Ferlo said.  “This is a positive first step towards transparency in government and I am optimistic that the House will recognize the need for Senate Bill 1.”

Ferlo said that some of the compromise amendments that were included in the bill that passed the Senate would presume that all government records are public records; disclose available birth dates on court and public documents to help verify identity; make 9-1-1 recordings available when disclosure would serve the public interest; and would make correspondence between legislators and lobbyists public documents.

The bill was sent to the state House of Representatives.

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