The Pennsylvania Senate’s State Government Committee announced the approval of four bills to increase government transparency.
State Sen. David Argall (R-29), the committee chairman, said the bills would apply to state and local governments.
“Openness and transparency are crucial for building trust in our government,” Argall said. “One of my key goals as chairman of this committee has been to ensure that every Pennsylvanian can know and understand the details of how their government operates.”
The committee approved two Senate bills and two House bills. Senate Bill 488 will require additional salary and budgetary information to be disclosed by Penn State University, the University of Pittsburgh, Temple University, and Lincoln University. The bill would increase the amount of university personnel salary information that must be disclosed and provide access to budget and contract information in searchable online databases.
“As we are reminded during budget season, our state-related universities receive over $500 million taxpayer dollars each year,” said state Sen. Doug Mastriano (R-33). “We owe it to the taxpayers of our commonwealth to ensure visibility on how those taxpayer dollars are being used.”
Senate Bill 1130 also passed out of committee and allows local governments to broadcast their meetings online and take remote comments.
Two House bills – House Bill 2485 and House Bill 2219 – refer to state agencies. HB 2485 would require state agencies to make information about state contracts over $10,000 available online. HB 2219 would require a report by Aug. 1, 2022, explaining the extension of a regulatory suspension in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The committee’s votes to approve the bills came after the committee’s public hearing last week reviewing legislation to update the Right to Know Law, which allows Pennsylvania residents and organizations to request information about the operation of state and local agencies, the General Assembly, the judiciary and state-related universities.