Voice of the People Heard, Wolf Allows Transparency Bill to Became Law Sans Signature, Grove Says

July 28, 2020

HARRISBURG – Transparency legislation, House Bill 2463, which unanimously passed the Legislature, will become law without the governor’s signature, Rep. Seth Grove (R-Dover) said.

The law requires state agencies to answer the public’s questions submitted through Right-to-Know (RTK) requests, as prescribed by law, during state of emergency declarations.

In response to the bill becoming law, Grove, the author of the bill, issued the following statement:

“For the past week or so, Gov. Tom Wolf has touted his reasons why he would veto House Bill 2463, all of which were debunked. At the same time, numerous stakeholders, such as newspapers, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association, and members of the House and Senate vocally raised their concerns on what a veto would mean for transparency in the Commonwealth. It would have meant the administration and state agencies under its umbrella could ignore valid questions from the public and the press.

“House Bill 2463 has a simple goal: To ensure the public has a route to hold its government accountable, even in times when a state of emergency declaration has been declared. A crisis is no reason for elected officials to ignore questions from the public.

“This bill becoming law could not have happened without the support of all those who raised their voices in defense of an open government and the freedom of the press. I am eternally grateful for the support this law received. Thank you.”

Representative Seth Grove
196th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Greg Gross
717.260.6374
ggross@pahousegop.com  
RepGrove.com / Facebook.com/RepSethGrove