The work of the Office of Open Records in Pennsylvania has seen a significantly increased workload recently, due in part to the pandemic.
Executive Director Liz Wagenseller says the number of appeals they see range from a variety of agencies and departments across the state.
“We had a 41 percent increase in appeals that we’ve heard. The biggest increases were the Department of Health, state police, local police, and school districts,” Wagenseller said. “One thing I would note about that, we had a 41 percent increase and we only see the appeals. So, if we just see that small piece you can imagine that magnified on all the agencies at a pretty big number.”
Wagenseller added that one of the biggest challenges her office has right now is hearing all of the appeals in the 30 day window.