HARRISBURG, — Pennsylvania House Republicans engineered a six-day delay Wednesday of a vote on a bill that would greatly expand what Pennsylvanians can learn about the actions of their state and local governments.

Supporters of the delay said they needed time to make much-needed repairs to blemishes on the bill, which passed the Senate unanimously a week earlier.

"So much work has been invested in this bill, it would be a terrible shame that you would actually injure your constituents by moving forward with it as it is," said Rep. John Maher, R-Allegheny, who proposed the delay that passed 100-98.

Majority Leader Bill DeWeese, D-Greene, called the move a case of GOP obstructionism and "an obvious, obvious delaying tactic."

It was the latest pitfall for advocates of what has been a 13-month process of study, debate and revisions as the Legislature examined how to change the 1957 Right-to-Know Law, regarded by many as one of the nation's weakest.

And it was another blow for Democratic leaders, who had to pull the plug on property tax reform legislation last week after a Republican-sponsored measure attracted dozens of Democratic votes to shift slots revenue to pay school taxes of lower income seniors only.

Critics of the open records bill said it would prevent real estate businesses from using government land records for commercial purposes, violate the privacy of everyday people and provide material for identity thieves.

"I'm not going to say that the legislation is necessarily flawed, but I am going to say that I believe it's incomplete," said Rep. Matthew Baker, R-Bradford, who pushed for identity theft protections.

The bill would make all records open, beyond a list of exceptions, and would establish a central office in state government, the Office of Open Records, to mediate access disputes. It would force government agencies to provide legal justification when they turn down a document request.

The changes also would expand the universe of public records, granting new access to financial records of the General Assembly and state courts.

Democratic leaders urged immediate passage, arguing that follow-up legislation could address all the concerns.

"This has been bandied about, back and forth, seemingly for time immemorial," DeWeese said. He called it "the most significant piece of reform legislation in years and years, if not decades and decades."