Pennsylvania’s Open Meetings Law, also known as the Sunshine Act, has been amended to require agendas to be made available at least 24 hours before a public meeting — a move we laud.

The change in the law requires state agencies, local municipalities and school districts to post an agenda online at least 24 hours before the start of a public meeting.

This is not just about our profession. The public benefits from this opportunity to know in advance what the government entities that affect them will be discussing ahead of time, so they have the chance to weigh in on important issues.

“The opportunity to review an agenda before a public meeting is a positive step toward increasing government accountability and citizen participation,” Office of Open Records Executive Director Liz Wagenseller said. “Access to timely and relevant information is crucial to promoting open and knowledgeable dialogue between citizens and government officials, and we look forward to the continued work of the legislature to improve government responsiveness and transparency.”

Government is not always responsive to the public’s right to know, an issue that came to the forefront during the COVID-19 pandemic, when state agencies, closed under emergency order, declined to answer requests, stating that the clock would not begin running on their mandated response time until the order was lifted.

The Legislature, in a rare unanimous vote, put an end to that practice despite the objections of Gov. Tom Wolf, who allowed the proposal to become law without his signature.

Challenges that we believe still to be taken on are the problems brought about by remote (online) municipal meetings during the pandemic — a number of times, those who took part outside the meeting room could not see or hear what was happening, nor properly be heard when trying to address their government.

We’d also like to see a requirement that certified meeting minutes be available on a specified timeline after meetings take place, and that removal from the minutes of any action or discussion during such meetings be met with stiff civil penalties.

Want to learn more? The Office of Open Records will conduct a webinar on the Sunshine Act, including the newly enacted SB554, at 10 a.m. on July 14.

The webinar is free and can be accessed at www.openrecords.pa.gov.