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HARRISBURG, April 21 – State Rep. Babette Josephs, D-Phila., has introduced legislation that would strengthen the state's Sunshine Law to make agencies and governments in the Commonwealth more accountable to the public.
"As legislators, it's our duty to keep government accessible, open and accountable to the people of Pennsylvania whom it is here to serve," Josephs said. "Secrecy not only undermines people's faith in government, but also the public's effectiveness in fulfilling its role in our democratic society."
The Sunshine Law was created to ensure citizens have notice of and the right to attend all meetings of agencies where policy is formed and decisions are made.
"The current penalties for violating the Sunshine Law are just a slap on the wrist. If we are to discourage its violation, we must put provide more incentive for officials not to break it," she said.
Josephs' bill (H.B. 1234) would increase the penalty for intentional violations from $100 to $1,000 plus the cost of prosecution for a first offense. A second or subsequent offense would incur a fine of up to $2,000 plus the cost of prosecution under the bill.
The bill also would prohibit agencies from paying the penalty on behalf of or reimbursing a member who is guilty of violating the Sunshine Law.
Finally, the bill would include a clause to permit executive sessions of an agency to discuss or plan matters related to safety and security.
"Because the Sunshine Law was crafted before terrorism became a household word, this clause would protect information that, if disclosed, would jeopardize the agency's security or emergency operations and ultimately make its citizens vulnerable," she said.
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