Section 1307 of the Right-To-Know Law requires the Office of Open Records (“OOR”) to establish a fee schedule for Commonwealth agencies and local agencies like municipalities and school districts. On December 22, 2020, the...more
In Anonymous v. Norristown Municipality, AP 2020-2496, the Municipality received a request for records about a police officer from a Requester identified only as “E3E3” that was sent from admin@e3e3.com. The Municipality...more
In Rosner v. Buckingham Township, AP 2020-1364 (“Rosner II”), the Township redacted residents’ names, home addresses, and tax map parcel I.D. numbers from the requested invoices setting forth charges to residents under the...more
In Rosner v. Buckingham Township, AP 2020-0623 (“Rosner I”), the request sought Stormwater Management Agreements and Grant of Easement Agreements relating to certain properties within the Township. The Township redacted the...more
In Schultz v. Montgomery County, AP 2020-1280, the Requester sought records related to a County Commissioner’s social media accounts, including sent and received Twitter Direct Messages and private Facebook messages, all...more
In Weik v. Pennsylvania State Police, AP 2020-1139 (October 6, 2020), the Requester sought records related to a fatal police shooting. The State Police identified a responsive Incident Report, but denied the request, arguing,...more
In O’Brien v. City of Pittsburgh, AP 2019-1694, the Requester sought records regarding the employment application, including a psychological assessment conducted by the City, of an individual who was not a City police...more
On May 6, 2020, the United States Department of Education issued its long-awaited Final Regulations (the “Regulations”) that focus on Title IX protections for victims of sexual misconduct. The new regulations impose a number...more
7/29/2020
/ Colleges ,
Dear Colleague Letter ,
Department of Education ,
Disciplinary Proceedings ,
Educational Institutions ,
Federal Funding ,
Gender-Based Violence ,
OCR ,
Rape ,
Sexual Assault ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Sexual Violence Policies ,
Students ,
Title IX ,
Universities
On July 15, 2020, the OOR stated the following in an email:
Two bills related to the Right-to-Know Law and one related to the Sunshine Act have been advancing in the General Assembly.
House Bill 1780 would clarify that...more
In Fairview Township v. Fairview Township Zoning Hrg. Bd., ____ A.3d ____, 493 C.D. 2018, 2020 WL 2844227 (Pa. Cmmw. June 2, 2020) and Horvath Towers V, LLC v. Indiana Township Bd. of Supervisors, et al., 1579 C.D. 2019, 2020...more
As business owners and their advisors who received Paycheck Protection Program loans focus on the Loan Forgiveness Application, Congress passed an Act that makes significant changes the Program. The House of Representatives...more
Over the last several days, the Small Business Administration (the “SBA”) has provided some answers to questions that many borrowers have had, including:
..With the negative publicity that some borrowers have gotten, can...more
On April 2, 2020, the Small Business Association (SBA), in consultation with the Department of the Treasury, published its Interim Final Rule (“Rule”) announcing the Paycheck Protection Program. While the Rule provided some...more
On April 2, 2020, the Small Business Association (SBA), in consultation with the Department of the Treasury, published its Interim Final Rule (“Rule”) announcing the Paycheck Protection Program. While the Rule provided some...more
4/23/2020
/ CARES Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Financial Stimulus ,
Interim Final Rules (IFR) ,
Loan Forgiveness ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Popular ,
Relief Measures ,
SBA ,
SBA Lending Programs ,
U.S. Treasury
On the evening before lenders could begin accepting applications, the SBA published its Interim Final Rule (“Rule”) announcing the Paycheck Protection Program. The entire Rule is available online and this article will...more
The ‘‘Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act’’ or the ‘‘CARES Act’’ created the Paycheck Protection Program designed to provide a direct incentive for small businesses to keep their workers on the payroll by...more
On March 27, 2020, President Trump singed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) into law. Section 1110 of the CARES Act makes several changes to the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loans Program by...more
The ‘‘Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act’’ or the ‘‘CARES Act’’ has officially been signed into law. The 880 page document creates and funds many programs designed to combat the economic disaster brought on by...more
Despite the COVID-19 emergency, Allegheny County is still holding to its March 31, 2020 deadline to file tax assessment appeals. Therefore, if you have been considering an assessment appeal, you must file now. Owners cannot...more
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (“COVID-19”) is a respiratory illness caused by a novel (new) virus, and we are learning more about it every day. There is currently no vaccine to protect against COVID-19. At this point, the best way...more
In Bradley v. Lehighton Area School District, AP 2019-2068 (Jan. 13, 2019), the OOR confirmed that the scope of videos covered by Act 22 (and, therefore, beyond the reach of the RTKL) is significantly broader than many...more
United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers, Local Union No. 37 v. North Allegheny School District, et al., 49 C.D. 2018, 2019 WL 5556265 (Pa. Cmwlth. Oct. 29, 2019). Commonwealth Court confirms that school...more
In Allegheny County, only two things are certain in life: death and property tax assessment appeals. Every year, County property owners have the opportunity to file an assessment appeal, and as always, an appeal may provide...more
In Serfass v. Northampton County, AP 2019-1664 (Nov. 7, 2019), the Requester sought 911 call records. The County denied the Request, arguing that the responsive records were exempt Section 708(b)(18) of the RTKL, which...more
Previously, this blog address how the Office of Open Records, in Steinheiser v. Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority, AP 2019-1877 (Nov. 6, 2019), confirmed that local agencies are not required to provide original...more