Mike's Memo

Senate Offices Closed for President's Day Holiday

This issue of "Mike's Memo" is being sent to you early because Senate offices will be closed Monday, February 18, in honor of the President's Day Holiday.

Senate Passes Open Records Update – Again

The Senate again unanimously passed Senate Bill 1, which would change Pennsylvania's Open Records Law.  Senate consideration was required again after amendments were added by the House of Representatives to address some technical issues and to provide some clarifications, including:

• Work papers underlying an audit are not part of the public release of an audit report;

• The Legislative Audit Advisory Commission is a legislative agency;

• Speech and debate privilege apply to records requests;

• Services for the elderly and disabled are treated like other social services;

• Services for domestic violence victims are treated like services for other crime victims;

• Academic transcripts are not open records;

• Tests are not open records (including licensing tests, tests administered in primary and secondary schools, and tests administered in colleges);

• Names, addresses, and birth dates of children 17 and under are not open records;

• The "reverse exception" for financial records (ensuring that all financial records will be open, with only very limited redaction) is allowed;

• Agencies are to consider and apply each exception separately;

• Freelance reporters and stringers are treated like full-time newspaper reporters when it comes to accessing complex and extensive data sets (at the potentially lower cost); and

• Removes the "commercial use" language of concern to realtors

Senate Committee Acts to Restrict Benefits to Illegal Aliens

The State Government Committee recently amended and reported out Senate Bill 9 to the full Senate for consideration.  I both cosponsored this bill and supported moving it to the Senate floor for consideration because I am concerned about the use of tax dollars to pay for benefits to illegal aliens living in Pennsylvania.  Click here to see how other members of the Senate State Government Committee voted on Senate Bill 9.  I was promised this bill will be sent to the Senate Appropriations Committee for additional amendment and calculation of a fiscal note as I do not want this initiative to be an unfunded mandate for counties or other governmental agencies.

PCN Call-In Show Rescheduled

My planned PCN appearance with Representative Sturla on health care has been rescheduled for 7:00 p.m., Monday, March 3. Representative Sturla was unable to participate since the House was in Session debating amendments to the Open Records law.