Sunshine Act

Presentations from OOR’s 2016 Annual Training

/ Liz Wagenseller / Leave a comment

Open records_logo stackedLast week, the Office of Open Records hosted our annual training session about the Right-to-Know Law and the Sunshine Act at the State Museum in Harrisburg.

I made a presentation, as did George Spiess, Chief of Training and Outreach, and Charles Brown, Chief Counsel.

Here are the presentations used at the 2016 Annual Training:

OOR 2016 Annual Training – Erik Arneson – PPTX
OOR 2016 Annual Training – Erik Arneson – PDF

OOR 2016 Annual Training – George Spiess – PPTX
OOR 2016 Annual Training – George Spiess – PDF

OOR 2016 Annual Training – Charles Brown – PPTX
OOR 2016 Annual Training – Charles Brown – PDF

If you’d like to watch the entire event, PCN has made video of the entire two-hour event available for free on its website.

Annual Training in Harrisburg on Oct. 26

/ Liz Wagenseller / Leave a comment

Open records_logo stackedThis year’s Office of Open Records Annual Training will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 26, at the State Museum in Harrisburg.

Senior staff from the OOR will lead this session covering the Right-to-Know Law and the Sunshine Act.

The training will touch on the basics of each law, but additional detail will be provided on recent Final Determinations issued by the OOR, recent Supreme Court and Commonwealth Court decisions, and emerging issues.

This training session is designed to be of interest to both agencies and requesters. Attendees will have ample opportunity to ask questions.

This session is pending approval for 1.5 CLEs.

You can register for the training session here.

Sunshine Week Panel – March 15 in Harrisburg

/ Liz Wagenseller / Leave a comment

On Tuesday, March 15, I’m taking part in a Sunshine Week panel organized by the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association to discuss “the state of open government in Pennsylvania.”

The event starts at 11:30 a.m. and ends at 1 p.m. at the Widener University Commonwealth Law School, 3800 Vartan Way, Harrisburg, PA.

The panel also features Scott Coburn, General Counsel for the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors, Melissa Melewsky, Media Law Counsel for PNA, and Terry Mutchler, an attorney with Pepper Hamilton and the former Executive Director of the Office of Open Records. Our moderator will be Teri Henning, President of PNA.

One CLE credit is available for attorneys.

More information is available at PNA’s website. Please join us if you can!

Speaking to the County Commissioners Association

/ Liz Wagenseller / Leave a comment

This morning in Hershey, I spoke to members of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania about the Right-to-Know Law and the Sunshine Act as part of the organization’s Newly Elected Officials Workshop and Fall Conference.

It was a great event, and I enjoyed talking to so many county commissioners. As a reporter at the Lebanon Daily News in the mid-1990s, I often covered meetings of the Lebanon County commissioners. I have great respect for the work done at the county level in Pennsylvania.

Here’s the presentation I used as part of this morning’s speech:

County Commissioners Association – 23 Nov 2015 (PDF)
County Commissioners Association – 23 Nov 2015 (PPTX)

OOR Annual Training – Presentation Materials

/ Liz Wagenseller / Leave a comment

The Office of Open Records held its annual training session in Harrisburg this week, covering the Right-to-Know Law and the Sunshine Act.

PCN very graciously recorded the presentation and has made streaming video of the OOR’s training session available for free:
PCN Video Part 1
PCN Video Part 2

Here’s the presentation I used for my opening comments:
Annual Training 2015 Opening Comments (PDF)
Annual Training 2015 Opening Comments (PPTX)

And here’s the presentation George Spiess, our Director of Training and Outreach, used for his session:
Annual Training 2015 George Spiess Session (PDF)
Annual Training 2015 George Spiess Session (PPTX)

Thanks again to the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission and to the State Museum of Pennsylvania for hosting us, and to Senator Dominic Pileggi for saying a few words at the start of the session.

Opening Comments – OOR Annual Training

/ Liz Wagenseller / Leave a comment

Today, the Office of Open Records is hosting its annual training session in Harrisburg, covering the Right-to-Know Law and the Sunshine Act.

Here’s the presentation I’m using for my opening comments:
Annual Training 2015 Opening Comments (PDF)
Annual Training 2015 Opening Comments (PPTX)

I’ll post the presentation used by George Spiess, our Director of Training and Outreach, soon. Also, complete video from the event will be available courtesy of PCN.

Last Call: OOR Annual Training Tomorrow (10/21)

/ Liz Wagenseller / Leave a comment

The Office of Open Records’ 2015 Annual Training in Harrisburg is scheduled to take place tomorrow (Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2015) — and it’s not too late for you to join us.

This session will cover both the Right-to-Know Law (also known as the Open Records Law) and the Sunshine Act (also known as the Open Meetings Law), including a discussion of significant recent OOR rulings and court decisions impacting the laws. Attendees will be able to ask questions.

If you’re a lawyer, you can also get 1.5 CLEs.

Registration is free, and the event is pending approval for 1.5 CLE credits.

Register online at http://oor-training-2015.eventbrite.com/

Senator Dominic Pileggi to Open OOR’s Annual Training

/ Liz Wagenseller / Leave a comment

HARRISBURG – The Office of Open Records (OOR) will conduct its annual training on the Right-to-Know Law and Sunshine Act on Wednesday, Oct. 21. Senator Dominic Pileggi, author of Pennsylvania’s current Right-to-Know Law, will open the session.

“The Right-to-Know Law and the Sunshine Act are fundamental to government transparency in Pennsylvania,” said Erik Arneson, Executive Director of the OOR. “I’m particularly excited that Senator Pileggi has agreed to say a few words at the start of this year’s session.”

The free session will cover the basics of both the Right-to-Know Law (also known as the Open Records Law) and the Sunshine Act (also known as the Open Meetings Law), including a discussion of recent significant OOR rulings and court decisions impacting the laws.

“The issue of government transparency has never been more prominent than it is today,” Arneson said. “This session is designed to give both agencies and citizens the latest information about the Right-to-Know Law and the Sunshine Act in an easy-to-understand way.”

The training, which has been approved for 1.5 continuing legal education credits (CLEs), will be conducted on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2015 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the Pennsylvania State Museum auditorium, 300 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg. It will also be recorded and aired by PCN, the Pennsylvania Cable Network.

The event is free and open to everyone, including citizens, public officials, agency employees, and members of the media. Registration is highly recommended as seating is limited. Online registration is available at http://oor-training-2015.eventbrite.com.