Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know Law
As a Commonwealth agency, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board is subject to Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know Law (RTKL).
Under the Right-To-Know Law, all records are presumed to be public records unless disclosure is barred by: (1) state or federal law or regulation; (2) judicial order; (3), privilege, e.g., attorney-client or doctor-patient; or (4) one of the exceptions in Section 708 of the Right-to-Know Law. The burden is now on the government agency to establish why the record is not available.
According to the Commonwealth Office of Open Records:
Make sure when you file a RTK request, you are seeking records and not just asking questions. The law governs the release of records, not answering questions.
A record is defined as "any information regardless of its physical form or character that documents a transaction or activity of an agency AND is created, received, or retained pursuant to law OR in connection with a transaction, business or activity of an agency" (emphasis added).
Records can take many forms, including papers, letters, maps, books, tapes, photographs, film or sound recordings, information stored or maintained electronically, and data-processed or image-processed documents. Note that e-mails can also be a form of public records, subject to any exceptions.
To learn more about the PLCB's RTKL process, click here.