HARRISBURG — A bill that would restrict the public’s ability to review death-related records in the possession of county coroners was expected to be considered today by a Pennsylvania Senate committee.

The Local Government Committee scheduled the vote on a proposal similar to a measure that previously passed the Legislature but was vetoed by then-Gov. Ed Rendell in November.

If it is enacted, coroners would not be required to disclose autopsy records, only the dead person’s name, cause of death and manner of death.

“It’s about accountability,” said Deb Musselman, a lobbyist with the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association, which is against the bill. “Coroners are public servants, they’re paid with tax dollars. And this scenario, under this change to the law, (it) basically makes it harder for people to understand just how well someone’s doing their job, the next time they’re up for re-election.”

The bill revises a provision of the County Code that requires coroners to deposit official records and papers for the preceding year in the county prothonotary’s office by the end of January for public inspection. Instead of being available for “the inspection of all persons” interested in them, the records would be available according to the Right-to-Know Law, which states autopsy records are not considered public records.

When Rendell vetoed a similar measure last year, he said the public’s right to information overshadowed other concerns.

William J. Haberstroh, an Altoona lawyer who serves as solicitor for the Pennsylvania State Coroners Association, said Monday the change would resolve a conflict between the Right-to-Know Law and the Coroner’s Act.