I could go either way on this one. To me, the tragedy is that we even have to be this persistent in convincing our state gov’t to do the right thing on the matter of Open Records.

Giving Pennsylvanians the widest possible access to the official records of its government agencies? Some would call it priceless.

But it may prove too expensive for most people.

Advocates for greater openness in government say pending legislation that would overhaul Pennsylvania’s open records law should do more to stack the deck against government agencies that choose to fight such requests.

Specifically, they argue that agencies that lose open records lawsuits should have to pay the requester’s legal fees, particularly because such lawsuits can cost tens of thousands of dollars to pursue and take years to resolve. With taxpayer dollars at their fingertips, government agencies are far better prepared to withstand an expensive court battle.