FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
State Rep. Babette Josephs
D-Philadelphia
www.babette.org
Bill to increase
penalties for violation of Sunshine Law passes House
HARRISBURG,
March 16 – The
Pennsylvania House of Representatives has passed legislation sponsored by Rep. Babette Josephs that would strengthen the state's Sunshine
Law.
The bill
would increase the penalties for violation and also would prohibit agencies
from paying the fines on behalf of an individual who violates the law.
"This is
one way we, as state legislators, can help keep government accessible, open and
accountable to the public," Josephs said. "The increased penalties
would put more teeth into the law and discourage its violation."
Josephs' bill
(H.B. 1324) 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. Since agencies would be prohibited from paying the fine on behalf of
or reimbursing a member of their agency, the violators would be held
financially responsible rather than the taxpayers, Josephs noted.
As amended by
the House, the bill also would:
·
prohibit
any government agency from holding a meeting on an election day, other than a
county board of elections, unless an emergency necessitates such a meeting to
occur;
·
permit
executive sessions to be held for the review and discussion of information
related to safety and security; and
·
allow the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board
to hold an executive session only to review license applicant character or
background information if the information is protected by law, judicial order
or privilege.
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 bill now
goes to the Senate for concurrence.
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|
CONTACT: Amy Giancoli Hartman |