Yesterday morning the Executive Directors of the Pennsylvania State Ethics Commission and Office of Open Records joined together for a virtual training on the Ethics Act and Right-to-Know Law.
The entire session is available to watch on the OOR’s YouTube channel and both of the presentations are available here:
State Ethics Commission Presentation (PDF)
Office of Open Records Presentation (PDF)
In honor of Sunshine Week 2025, join us in-person or virtually on March 17 (11 a.m. – 12 p.m.) for a round-up of the major decisions and happenings with Pennsylvania’s Right-to-Know Law and the Sunshine Act. Paula Knudsen Burke, the Pennsylvania-based attorney for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, will moderate a panel that includes:
Location:
In-person: State Archives, 1681 N. Sixth St. Harrisburg, PA
Virtual: Microsoft Teams
CLE will be available for $15/credit hour through PSATS. Forms will be available at the event and CLE recipients will be invoiced.
The event will begin with a short presentation of The Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association’s Advocate of the Year Award.
Good government is basic principle, built on the foundation of public trust and the exchange of information between governments and the public they serve.
As a government employee, how can you be a steward of good government? What are your legal obligations? Join the executive directors of the State Ethics Commission and Office of Open Records on March 19th from 10:00 – 12:00 for a virtual training on the Ethics Act and Right-to-Know Law.
Reserve your spot to the training here.
Additional Details
The Ethics Act states that public office is a public trust. Efforts to realize financial gain through public office or employment other than compensation provided by law is a violation of that trust. In this presentation, learn what the Ethics Act is and how the State Ethics Commission enforces it, review some of the most-frequently violated Ethics Act provisions, and discover how to spot a potential problem so you can stay on the right side of the Ethics Act – and out of the newspapers! The Right-to-Know Law (RTKL) aims to enhance government transparency and accountability by ensuring public access to government records. In Pennsylvania, all government records are presumed public. But what does this really mean? In this presentation, you will gain a comprehensive understanding of the RTKL process from beginning to end. The presentation will also explore various types of exempt information that can be withheld and offer practical tips on how to avoid common pitfalls throughout the process.
The Office of Open Records is hosting a training session for requesters (media and non-media) at our office in Harrisburg on Thursday, Oct. 10, starting at 11 a.m.
This event will focus on various areas of Pennsylvania’s Right-to-Know Law, including:
And much more.
This training session is free and open to everyone. To register, visit the OOR’s EvenbtBrite page.
Earlier this month, the Office of Open Records hosted the first-ever Right-to-Know Law Roundtable, an event designed to help requesters better understand Pennsylvania’s Right-to-Know Law.
PCN was on hand to record the Roundtable, which I very much appreciate, and we’re able to present the following videos which cover the entire event.
The first video features the opening speaker, Judge Dominic F. Pileggi, a former state senator and author of the Right-to-Know Law, along with a discussion on the topic Practical Tips for Writing an Effective RTKL Request moderated by Angela Couloumbis (Philadelphia Inquirer) with panelists Melissa Melewsky, Esq. (Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association), Jan Murphy (Pennlive), and Megan Shannon, Esq. (Offit Kurman).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwj1UdOZriU
The second video features a discussion on the topic Enforcing Office of Open Records Final Determinations moderated by Joyce Davis (Pennlive) with panelists Adrienne Langer, Esq. (Cusick, DeCaro & Langer), Terry Mutchler, Esq. (Mutchler Lyons), and Thea Paolini, Esq., MBA (Nauman, Smith, Shissler & Hall).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cplD4ojXd_Q
The third video features a discussion on the topic Law Enforcement Records and the Right-to-Know Law moderated by Cindy Simmons (Pennsylvania State University) with panelists Paula Knudsen, Esq. (The Caucus), William Rozier (Pennsylvania State Police), and Liz Evans Scolforo (York Dispatch).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGvorvnHHCo
The fourth (and final) video features a one-on-one discussion between Jaime Fettrow-Alderfer (Lebanon Valley College) and Liz Navratil (Spotlight PA) about Using the Right-to-Know Law in Reporting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5MovQ4bTXg
We hope to organize more events like the RTKL Roundtable in the future. Please contact us if you have any comments or suggestions. And don’t forget to check our training calendar for all of our upcoming events.
Earlier today, I was part of a panel discussion about the Right-to-Know Law as part of the Dauphin County Bar Association’s Bench Bar Conference.
The session was entitled The Right-to-Know Law: Its Use and Abuse as a Discovery Tool.
The discussion was moderated by Craig J. Staudenmaier of Nauman Smith Shissler & Hall. It also featured Judge Terrence Nealon of the Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas; Thomas Howell, Deputy General Counsel in the Office of General Counsel; and Joshua D. Bonn of Nauman Smith Shissler & Hall.
It was a great panel and I appreciate being invited to take part.
Here’s the presentation I used:
Dauphin County Bar Association Bench Bar Conference – July 20, 2019 – PDF
Dauphin County Bar Association Bench Bar Conference – July 20, 2019 – PPTX
Earlier today, I took part in the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs’ annual conference in Hershey.
It was a great discussion, and I very much appreciate the invitation. Here’s the presentation I used:
Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs – June 11, 2018 – PDF
Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs – June 11, 2018 – PPTX
On October 23, the Office of Open Records held its annual training session in Harrisburg. The session included presentations by Erik Arneson, executive director; Charles Brown, chief counsel; Delene Lantz, general counsel; and George Spiess, director of training and outreach.
This year, for the first time, the training was available via webinar. We’ve also uploaded the complete event to YouTube:
To learn about upcoming training events, sign up for the OOR’s email newsletter. You can also request a training session.
Here’s the presentation we used for this year’s annual training session:
OOR Annual Training – October 23, 2017 – PDF
OOR Annual Training – October 23, 2017 – PPTX
Earlier today, I was part of a panel discussion at a CLE hosted by the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association at Widener Law Commonwealth in Harrisburg.
It was an excellent event (even if last week’s snow did push it into the week after Sunshine Week!), and I appreciate the invitation to participate.
Here’s the presentation I used:
PNA Sunshine Week CLE at Widener – March 21, 2017 – PDF
PNA Sunshine Week CLE at Widener – March 21, 2017 – PPTX
Yesterday, I spoke to members of the Pennsylvania Municipal League about the Right-to-Know Law, the Office of Open Records, and related issues.
It was a great event, and I very much appreciate the invitation to participate.
Here’s the presentation I used:
Pennsylvania Municipal League – Feb. 13, 2017 – PDF
Pennsylvania Municipal League – Feb. 13, 2017 – PPTX
Open Records in Pennsylvania 