PRINTER'S NO. 1897
No. 1551 Session of 2001
INTRODUCED BY METCALFE, S. H. SMITH, ARGALL, LEDERER, BASTIAN,
BENNINGHOFF, CAPPELLI, CAWLEY, CLARK, CREIGHTON, J. EVANS,
HERMAN, HERSHEY, LEH, McCALL, ROHRER, SATHER, STABACK, STERN,
SURRA AND WILT, MAY 8, 2001
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY, MAY 8, 2001
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of June 21, 1957 (P.L.390, No.212), entitled
2 "An act requiring certain records of the Commonwealth and its
3 political subdivisions and of certain authorities and other
4 agencies performing essential governmental functions, to be
5 open for examination and inspection by citizens of the
6 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; authorizing such citizens under
7 certain conditions to make extracts, copies, photographs or
8 photostats of such records; and providing for appeals to the
9 courts of common pleas," further defining "public record" to
10 exclude certain addresses of employees of the Department of
11 Corrections, the Board of Probation and Parole and the Board
12 of Pardons.
13 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
14 hereby enacts as follows:
15 Section 1. Section 1(2) of the act of June 21, 1957
16 (P.L.390, No.212), referred to as the Right-to-Know Law, amended
17 June 17, 1971 (P.L.160, No.9), is amended to read:
18 Section 1. In this act the following terms shall have the
19 following meanings:
20 * * *
21 (2) "Public Record." Any account, voucher or contract
22 dealing with the receipt or disbursement of funds by an agency
1 or its acquisition, use or disposal of services or of supplies,
2 materials, equipment or other property and any minute, order or
3 decision by an agency fixing the personal or property rights,
4 privileges, immunities, duties or obligations of any person or
5 group of persons: Provided, That the term "public records" shall
6 not mean any report, communication or other paper, the
7 publication of which would disclose the institution, progress or
8 result of an investigation undertaken by an agency in the
9 performance of its official duties, except those reports filed
10 by agencies pertaining to safety and health in industrial
11 plants; it shall not include any record, document, material,
12 exhibit, pleading, report, memorandum or other paper, access to
13 or the publication of which is prohibited, restricted or
14 forbidden by statute law or order or decree of court, or which
15 would operate to the prejudice or impairment of a person's
16 reputation or personal security, or which would disclose the
17 home address, voting residence or county of residence of an
18 employe of the Department of Corrections, the Board of Probation
19 and Parole, the Board of Pardons or of a county prison or jail,
20 or which would result in the loss by the Commonwealth or any of
21 its political subdivisions or commissions or State or municipal
22 authorities of Federal funds, excepting therefrom however the
23 record of any conviction for any criminal act.
24 Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
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