National Freedom of Information Coalition

Pennsylvania FOI Resources

Quick Information | Contacts | Form Letters | Publications

Pennsylvania Freedom of Information Coalition

(A member of NFOIC)
3899 North Front Street
Harrisburg, PA 17110
Contact: Kim de Bourbon
Phone (570) 424-6259
Email info@openrecordspa.org
http://www.openrecordspa.org/

QUICK FOI INFORMATION

Open Meetings Law 65 Pa. Cons. Stat. Section 261 et. seq.
Closed: Attorney consultations; collective bargaining; certain personnel matters; and some real estate transactions.

Open Records Law 65 Pa. Stat. Section 66.1 et seq.
Exempt: Some investigative records; birth and death records; some election reports; and accident reports.

CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA

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CONTACTS

  • Office of the Attorney General
  • Strawberry Square, 16th Floor
  • Harrisburg, PA 17120
  • Phone (717) 787-3391
  • Fax (717) 787-8242
  • http://www.attorneygeneral.gov/
  • Center for the First Amendment
  • Pennsylvania State University
  • 201F Carnegie Building
  • University Park, PA 16802-5101
  • Phone (814) 865-8801
  • http://www.psu.edu/dept/comm/first/
  • E-mail sws102@psu.edu
  • Pennsylvania Newspaper Association
  • 3899 N. Front St.
  • Harrisburg, PA 17108
  • Phone (717) 703-3000
  • Fax (717) 703-3001
  • http://www.pa-newspaper.org/

FORM LETTERS

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PUBLICATIONS

Mass Communication Law in Pennsylvania brings between two covers a valuable reference to state law affecting communication professionals and students. Written for the layperson, it examines issues that occur in daily news-gathering activities, such as libel, open records, and reporter privilege.
Order from:   New Forums Press

Media Survival Kit: Pennsylvania First Amendment Coalition prepared by Samuel E. Klein, Amy B. Ginensky, Vernon L. Francis, and Robert C. Clothier.
The Media Survival Kit, last updated in 2001, is published by the Pennsylvania First Amendment Coalition. The book was printed by the Pennsylvania Newspape Association and distributed to PNA member newspapers. Pennsylvania's Right to Know Act, which concerns government records, was updated since the Media Survival Kit was printed. PNA's Legal Department produced a guide to the 2002 changes, which is a handy reference to use in conjunction with the Media Survival Kit. Read and order here.

Open Government Guide from the
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press

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