"There's no doubt it's harder to get outmoded laws off the books than it is to enact new ones. People get busy, they forget, legislators become removed from the day-to-day problems that grow over time as conditions change. New issues arise.

How often does government go back and look at whether something is still working? In the case of Pennsylvania's library code, it's 50 years.

The code - considered a model for other states when it was enacted in 1961 - doesn't work very well today. Amended over time, it contains contradictory provisions in some areas. And it's an understatement to say some mandates are outdated."

...[continued]