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Monday, September 22, 2014

Sunshine Act Reform Looks Likely

Under Pennsylvania's Sunshine Act, citizens and taxpayers have the right to address local governments before they do something stupid. That right means a lot more if you know what they intend to discuss in advance. So Jim Christina, an evil Republican from Beaver County, has proposed a reform under which agendas must be posted and placed on the municipality's webpage at least 24 hours before the meeting. There are exceptions if there's an emergency.

According to The Citizens Voice, this bill is opposed by local governments, including the County Commissioners' and Township Supervisors' Association. One of their complaints is that this would force them to break down and host a web page. If they're unable to do that, despite all the free sites available, they have no reason to exist.

Their real objection is that they'd prefer to keep you in the dark.

Because this Bill appears to have bi-partisan support, my guess is that it will eventually become law.

Unfortunately, none of that bi-partisan support is coming from the Lehigh Valley.
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6 comments:

  1. AnonymousSeptember 22, 2014 at 1:59 AM

    Forget the Sunshine. Nazareth false abduction is being investigated by Northampton County DA. He is concerned enough to look into the "false report". He raise d serious issues about the entire incident. His investigation will get to the bottom of this evil act. It may be best for anyone responsible to step forward now.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousSeptember 22, 2014 at 6:28 AM

    If anyone really wants to know what is going on in any municipality or government agency, simply file Right to Know requests demanding to review all emails. Not that hard. Trust me, that is where the real decision making or orders given are taking place.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousSeptember 22, 2014 at 6:30 AM

    PS: make sure you request emails between the elected folks and the staff and between the elected folks themselves!! You will see the real side of government.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ron BeitlerSeptember 22, 2014 at 8:20 AM

    Thanks for sharing I wasn't aware of this but completely support. Seems like a no-brainer.

    Also consider learning about HB 1671 which also deals with the sunshine law. Specifically it streamlines the definition under which e-sessions can be called. It would also require an audio recording of the executive session so if an allegation arises that the meeting was improperly held, it can be verified later by a judge.

    http://www.ronbeitler.com/2014/06/25/house-bill-proposes-changes-to-sunshine-law/

    Executive sessions are frequently abused and used to circumvent sunshine.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousSeptember 22, 2014 at 8:07 PM

    @ron beitler... abused.. really, most of what happens in an Executive Session is outright illegal. Speaking from an inside perspective. Its a shame that politicos do not "out" their ilk for conducting illegal meetings. That is the only way to police this matter.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ron BeitlerSeptember 24, 2014 at 8:37 AM

    @8:07 Agree. Have to be willing to walk out of an executive session if you feel uncomfortable with the direction it's headed or that the discussion veers beyond the publicly stated purpose.

    ReplyDelete

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