I will soon be introducing legislation to clarify Pennsylvania’s Sunshine Act in response to a recent Supreme Court ruling. In 2021, the General Assembly voted unanimously in both the House and the Senate to establish limited exceptions by which an agency can add matters to a published agenda during a meeting. These exceptions were meant to be limited in scope and importance, or to reflect emergency concerns. In December, the Supreme Court ruled that language included in this update provides a broad exception for any type of agency business to be added during a meeting, no matter how substantial. In order to preserve the purpose of the notice and agenda requirements of the Sunshine Act, the General Assembly should clarify the language regarding these exceptions and limit them to an appropriate set of circumstances.

Please join me in sponsoring this legislation.