Source: https://www.pabulletin.com/secure/data/vol38/38-42/1884.html
Timestamp: 2019-04-19 23:01:37+00:00

Document:
The Legislative Reference Bureau, under section 504(a) of the Right-to-Know Law, as enacted February 14, 2008 (P. L. 6, 14, No. 3) (65 P. S. § 67.504(a)) Purdons Pennsylvania Legislative Service, No. 1 (2008), proposes to add 101 Pa. Code Chapter 31 (relating to Right-to-Know Law) as set forth in Annex A.
Interested parties are invited to submit written comments, objections or suggestions about the proposed statement of policy to Open-Records Officer, Legislative Reference Bureau, Room 641, Main Capitol Building, Harrisburg, PA 17120-0033, within 30 days after publication of this notice in the Pennsylvania Bulletin. Comments submitted by facsimile will not be accepted.
Fiscal Note: 150-1. No fiscal impact; (8) recommends adoption.
Appeals officer--The individual responsible, under section 503(c)(1) of the law (65 P. S. § 67.503(c)(1)), for appeals from determinations of an open-records officer.
Law--The Right-to-Know Law (65 P. S. §§ 67.101--67.3104).
(iv) The Capitol Preservation Committee.
(v) The Center for Rural Pennsylvania.
(vi) The Joint Legislative Air and Water Pollution Control and Conservation Committee.
(vii) The Joint State Government Commission.
(viii) The Legislative Budget and Finance Committee.
(ix) The Legislative Data Processing Committee.
(x) The Independent Regulatory Review Commission.
(xi) The Local Government Commission.
(xii) The Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing.
(xiii) The Legislative Reapportionment Commission.
(xiv) The Legislative Office for Research Liaison.
(xv) The Legislative Audit Advisory Commission.
Legislative service agency record--A legislative record of a legislative service agency.
Legislative record--As defined in section 102 of the law (65 P. S. § 67.102).
Legislative service agency--A legislative agency other than the Senate or the House of Representatives.
(i) Each request is for the same legislative record.
(ii) Each request is to the same legislative service agency.
(iii) The number exceeds the daily average number of requests to the legislative service agency by at least 200%.
(iv) The requests are substantially identical in format and language.
(v) The open-records officer is able to trace the requests to a common source.
Nonadjudicative legislative service agency--A legislative service agency other than the Bureau or the Legislative Reapportionment Commission.
Office of Open Records--The Office of Open Records established in section 1310 of the law (65 P. S. § 67.1310).
Open-records officer--The individual responsible for access to the information of a legislative service agency under section 502(a)(2) of the law (65 P. S. § 67.502(a)(2)).
Requester--A person that makes a request for information from a legislative service agency under the law.
(i) Accept the nonadjudicative legislative service agency's designation of the open-records officer.
(ii) Designate the head of the nonadjudicative legislative service agency as the open-records officer.
(i) The Bureau's designation is set forth in § 31.12 (relating to contact information).
(3) The designation for the Legislative Reapportionment Commission will be made by August 31 in the year in which the Legislative Reapportionment Commission convenes.
(b) Notice. As soon as possible after the designation under subsection (a)(2) and (3), the Bureau will publish the designations in the Pennsylvania Bulletin.
(1) Request entries under section 502(b)(2)(i) of the law (65 P. S. § 67.502(b)(2)(i)).
(2) Time periods under section 502(b)(2)(ii) of the law.
(3) Interim responses under section 502(b)(1) of the law.
(4) Final responses under section 502(b)(1) of the law.
(5) Dispositions under section 502(b)(2)(iii) of the law.
(6) Implementation of Subchapter C (relating to appellate procedure).
§ 31.11. Hours of access.
The Right-To-Know Office of the Bureau will be open from 8:45 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Monday through Friday except for official State and Federal holidays and other days the Bureau is closed by direction of the Bureau Director. The Right-To-Know Office will not be open during other hours that the Legislative Reference Bureau is open for legislative session business.
(1) On a form prescribed by the Bureau.
(2) In a manner so that material requested describes records requested with specificity.
(a) Scope. The Bureau will forward a request for a legislative service agency record not generated by the Bureau to the appropriate legislative service agency.
(b) Status. Forwarding a request under subsection (a) does not constitute a deemed denial under section 901 of the law (65 P. S. § 67.901).
(2) A bill or resolution that has been introduced, including resolutions to adopt or amend the rules of a chamber.
(3) The minutes of, record of attendance of members at and all recorded votes taken in a meeting of the Joint Committee on Documents.
(4) The transcript of a public hearing when available.
(5) Any administrative staff manuals or written policies.
(6) Final or annual reports required by law to be submitted to the General Assembly.
(7) A record communicating to the appointing authority the resignation of a legislative appointee.
(8) Proposed regulations, final-form regulations and final-omitted regulations submitted to a legislative agency. This paragraph is subject to 45 Pa.C.S. § 722(b) (relating to deposit of documents required) and 1 Pa. Code § 13.55 (relating to filing for public inspection).
(1) The open-records officer will respond to the common source identified by the open-records officer; respond to individual requests submitted in writing; and, if the request is granted, will make the legislative record accessible at the Bureau.
(2) If the mass request is in electronic format, each requester will be informed of the action under paragraph (1).
(1) The fee for providing a document is $.25 per page.
(2) The fee for postage will not exceed actual mailing costs.
(3) The fee for certifying a document is $5 per document, regardless of the number of pages. Each document requires separate certification and fee.
(4) The fee for redaction of a document is $1 per page.
(b) Exception. If the Office of Open Records charges a fee for providing a document of less than the amount set forth in subsection (a), the Bureau will charge the fee charged by the Office of Open Records.
(1) Except as set forth in paragraph (2), payment arrangements shall be made between the requester and the open-records officer.
(2) Under section 1307(h) of the law (65 P. S. § 67.1307(h)), if the total fee exceeds $100, payment must be made prior to the initiation of the providing the document. If prepayment is required, a check, certified check or money order shall be made payable to ''Commonwealth of Pennsylvania'' in the total amount of the fee.
§ 31.21. Administrative Agency Law.
(a) Authority. This section constitutes the adoption of practice and procedure provisions under section 1309 of the law (65 P. S. § 67.1309).
(1) Except as set forth in subsection (c), the provisions of 2 Pa.C.S. Chapter 5, Subchapter A and Chapter 7, Subchapter A (relating to Administrative Agency Law) apply to appeals under this subchapter.
(2) This subsection applies notwithstanding 2 Pa.C.S. § 501(a) (relating to scope of subchapter).
(1) Testimony will be recorded, and a transcript will only be produced if there is an appeal under section 1301(a) of the law (65 P. S. § 67.1301(a)). This paragraph applies notwithstanding 2 Pa.C.S. § 504 (relating to hearing and record).
(2) The provisions of 2 Pa.C.S. § 508 (relating to notice to Department of Justice) do not apply.
(1) Except as set forth in paragraph (2), the Bureau will provide appeals officers for appeals from all legislative service agencies.
(2) For an appeal from a denial by the open-records officer of the Bureau, the Bureau will arrange with a nonadjudicative legislative service agency to provide an appeals officer.
(1) The appeals officer must be an attorney at law.
(i) The Bureau for an appeal under subsection (a)(1).
(ii) The nonadjudicative legislative agency for an appeal under subsection (a)(2).
(3) The appeals officer will be an individual under contract with the Bureau for an appeal from a denial by the open-records officer of the Legislative Reapportionment Commission.
(i) A request denied under section 903 of the law (65 P. S. § 67.903).
(ii) A request deemed denied under section 901 of the law (65 P. S. § 67.901).
(2) Under section 1101(c) of the law, a party with a direct interest in the information subject to the appeal may intervene in the appeal.
(1) A party under subsection (a) must file two copies of the appeal or petition to intervene with the Bureau. The copies must be in writing. Electronic filing is not permitted. For an appeal under subsection (a)(1)(i), the appeal or petition must refer to any disputed factual or legal matter in the denial under section 903 of the law.
(2) Upon receipt of the filing under paragraph (1), the Bureau will send a copy to the open-records officer whose denial or deemed denial is being appealed.
(3) The appeals officer may schedule an informal conference with the parties to attempt to resolve the matter.
(1) The appeal under section 1101(a)(1) of the law.
(2) The denial under section 903 of the law.
(i) The appeal is of a deemed denial under section 901 of the law.
(ii) The requester alleges willful misconduct under section 1304(a)(1) of the law (65 P. S. § 67.1304(a)(1)).
(iii) In the denial, the open-records officer rules that the request is frivolous under section 1304(b) of the law.
(iv) The appeals officer determines that there is good cause for a hearing.
(2) Under section 1102(b)(2) of the law, a hearing is subject to 1 Pa. Code Part II (relating to General Rules of Administrative Practice and Procedure).
(1) Title. Identification of the requester and the legislative agency.
(i) Recital. A brief recital of the facts up to disposition by the open-records officer.
(ii) The disposition by the open-records officer. This subparagraph includes a denial under section 903 of the law and a deemed denial under section 901 of the law.
(3) Factual findings. Resolution of disputed facts.
(4) Legal conclusions. Includes cited authority.
(5) Order. An order affirming the denial or granting the request, in whole or in part. An order under this paragraph is subject to judicial review under Chapter 13 of the law (65 P. S. §§ 67.1301--67.1310).

References: § 67
 § 67
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 § 31
 § 67

§ 31
 § 67
 § 722
 § 13
 § 67

§ 31
 § 67
 § 501
 § 67
 § 504
 § 508
 § 67
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 § 67