New law requires public meeting agendas be posted online, if possible

Bipartisan support of just about anything is a fairly rare thing nowadays in the Pennsylvania General Assembly.

But lawmakers on both sides of the aisle recently found one thing they could agree: Local and state government bodies should be as aggressive as possible in publicizing the business they will conduct at public meetings.

Senate Bill 554, approved unanimously by the House and Senate and signed into law by Gov. Tom Wolf, requires meeting agendas be made publicly available at least 24 hours in advance of a meeting, both in print and in digital form, if the group that is meeting has a website.

“I’ve always been concerned about proper transparency in government organizations,” said Sen. Patrick J. Stefano, R-Bullskin. “I chaired a sewer authority for a good number of years, and I always wanted our customers to know what were doing and voting on.”

When Stefano was alerted about a school board in his 32nd District that added an unexpected vote on a new superintendent to one of its board agendas, “that’s what started the drive toward a bill,” he said. “A lot of people were interested in the superintendent issue, and the board voted on it at a meeting where no one was there. That should never happen.”

The way agendas are presented in Pennsylvania varies widely from one government body to another.

Murrysville and Franklin Regional officials, for example, regularly post a digital copy of their agendas, which include detailed descriptions of each item to be discussed or voted on. In nearby Delmont and Export, however, only printed agendas are available, despite both boroughs having a website.

The new law will require agendas to go onto those websites at least 24 hours prior to a public meeting. Agendas also must be posted at a government agency’s main office, as well as the location of the meeting.

“This is a great change for improved transparency and civic engagement,” said Pennsylvania Office of Open Records Executive Director Liz Wagenseller. “By knowing agenda items ahead of time, the public knows if an issue of importance to them is being discussed, and can prepare to attend and engage in the meeting.”

Government bodies already are required to advertise public meetings in a local newspaper, but Wagenseller said the more places an agenda can be circulated, the better.

“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,” Wagenseller said.

The bill does make exceptions for agenda amendments and emergency business that may come before a government body.

Click here to read the full text of the new law.