State Sen. Katie Muth Hosts Right-To-Know Workshop Sept. 23 On Public Records

LOWER PROVIDENCE, PA — A local lawmaker is hosting a virtual right-to-know workshop later this month giving constituents an opportunity to learn about Pennsylvania’s public records laws.

State Sen. Katie Muth, D-44, announced that she will partner with the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records to host the free virtual event Sept. 23 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Participants, who must register in advance, will have the opportunity to interact with open records experts and learn how to use Pennsylvania’s Right to Know Law, including how to go about filing a successful Right to Know request.

“The first step to fixing our broken system is ensuring accountability and transparency within our state government,” Muth said in a statement. “Our Virtual Right to Know Workshop will provide a crash course on how residents can utilize the Right to Know law to stay informed by obtaining information that they are entitled to under the law and ultimately, to hold public officials and local governments accountable.”

According to Muth’s office, all state and local government agency records are presumed to be public under Pennsylvania’s current Right to Know Law, and if an agency seeks to withhold a record from public view, it has the burden to prove why it is entitled to do so under the Right to Know Law, or any other state law or regulation, privilege (such as attorney-client privilege) or court order.

Muth’s office also noticed that the Right to Know Law established the Office of Open Records, which makes it “simple and free” for an individual to appeal an agency denial if a governmental agency refuses to release certain records.

Muth said that under the previous statute, a requester appealing an agency denial had to go to court and had the burden to establish why a certain record should be considered public.

Visit here for additional information or to sign up for the virtual workshop.