The officials we elect, or those who are appointed by those elected, are the people's business.

The media is in the business of reporting news about them.That's why the records of publicly elected employees should be open for all to see.A bill scheduled for a vote today in the state Legislature (House Bill 824) would prohibit release of information related to "public safety officials," including home addresses, personal telephone numbers or email addresses upon request of the official, without standards or a right to appeal.That official could request the same exemption for his or her spouse, child or parent.In Pennsylvania, a public official is defined as any person elected by the public or elected or appointed by a governmental body or an appointed official in the executive, legislative or judicial branch of this commonwealth or any political subdivision.Under the current definition of HB 24, the public safety officials would include any state or local law enforcement official, from the attorney general down to the magisterial district judge to constable and deputy constable. It would also include police officers and sheriffs, firefighters, county probation or parole officers and agents, liquor control enforcement agents and officers or employee of a correctional institution, county jail or prison, juvenile detention center.The Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association, dedicated to advancing the business interests of Pennsylvania news media companies and promoting a free and independent press, maintains that home address information should remain public, including voter registration records, property tax records and court records.The PNA website contains updated information on the public records (right to know) law that was signed into law by Gov. Ed Rendell in 2008 and went into effect Jan. 1, 2009.PNA points out that current law already provides protections for law enforcement officials and judges through the Right to Know Law but the proposed changes of HB 24 are not included under that umbrella, which is why the media group is so strongly opposed to the bill.The fact that there is no appeal mechanism is also a concern to media members, who could face criminal penalties under the bill if information is released after a confidentiality request has been entered.The public should never tire of wanting to know how their elected officials are conducting business and spending taxpayer money. For those of us in the news business, open records are a primary tool in providing that oversight.By JIM ZBICKtneditor@tnonline.com