HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Legislature is concealing with whom lawmakers and staff met, and why, in records on how it spends its roughly $360 million annual budget, two news organizations reported Thursday.

Thousands of pages of financial records turned over in response to public records requests by The Caucus and Spotlight PA contained vague descriptions of expenses or redactions that made it impossible to see their purpose.

In defending their rationale for keeping the information secret, legislative lawyers cited the speech and debate clause in the state Constitution, The Caucus and Spotlight PA reported.

The lawyers say that the clause protects lawmakers’ ability to speak and debate freely, and that revealing the information would “interfere with the Legislature’s independence.”

But good-government advocates say the speech and debate clause was intended to allow lawmakers to speak freely in floor debate and other official proceedings.

The news organizations’ requests covered all of the Legislature’s expenses, except salaries and benefits, from 2017 through 2019.