When the government tries to keep the public in the dark, it’s a red flag. A dangerous bipartisan bill introduced by State Senator Chris Dush threatens to strip the public of its right to government transparency.

Senator Dush’s bill seeks to limit access to public records under the guise of "vexatious" Right-to-Know requests. But let’s be clear—publicly funded offices have an obligation to provide full transparency, regardless of how arduous it might seem. The real solution is not censorship or avoidance but providing more resources to ensure these records are available to the public. Whether it’s protecting parental rights in schools, ensuring local government spending accountability, or maintaining election transparency, our right to access public information is non-negotiable.

On his website, Senator Dush claims that state agencies and school boards are “overwhelmed” by public record requests, even going so far as to label some requests as having “vexatious intent.” This is an alarming stance. Instead of curtailing access, government offices should be empowered to meet public demand for transparency. In some states, a small fee is permitted to cover costs associated with large requests—this is a far better solution than the Senator's misguided plans to restrict access to information.

This bill is a misguided attack on our Constitutional right to know and undermines our ability to hold government officials accountable.

We must act now! Call on Pennsylvania state representatives to reject and kill SB525 immediately. Our freedom to access government information is essential to monitoring corruption and ensuring transparency in every corner of the state. Let’s stand up and demand the transparency we deserve!