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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 18, 2008
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Our Current Session of Reform

As Majority Whip of the Senate, I believe that state government must adhere to the highest ethical standards and be accountable to the people it represents. 

The recent indictments by the Attorney General have only reiterated the need to continue our ongoing comprehensive efforts to look at how we can restore public confidence in state government.  In the past year, the Senate has adopted a number of reforms to make its operations more open and accountable to the citizens of this state.  We remain committed to enforcing the highest ethical standards and demonstrating our desire to work hard for the people who elected us.

First, the Senate -- through a bi-partisan effort -- adopted rule changes that provide greater transparency and prohibit controversial practices.  These changes include:  roll call votes posted on the Internet no later than 24 hours after a vote and committee votes are posted within 48 hours; session limited to the hours between 8 a.m. and 11 p.m.; a waiting period of at least six hours before voting on an amended bill or a conference committee report; amendments are posted to the Internet before being offered on the Senate floor; live feed of the Senate floor action available on the Internet (www.pasen.gov); and prohibiting the use of funds appropriated to the Senate to pay or reimburse for costs associated with the use of automatic dialing-announcing devices – robo-calls.

The Senate has passed numerous reform-focused bills this session, some more than a year ago and most of which await House action.  These proposals include banning bonuses (SB 986); increasing fines for violations of the Sunshine Law (SB 467); Salary Information Act requiring the posting of all government salaries on the Internet (SB 729); banning lame duck sessions (SB 468); prohibiting "pinstripe patronage" by barring state government agencies from contracting with outside individuals or firms to do "consulting" work, unless campaign contributions are publicly disclosed and the contract is reviewed for conflict of interest, or is opened up to competitive bidding (SB 903, Sen. Orie prime sponsor); Taxpayer-Funded Advertising Transparency Act allowing the public to know when and how their money is being spent on advertising (SB 1015);  making information available on the Internet regarding the use of state planes (SB 1201); and reforming the use of state-owned vehicles (SB 1499).

In addition to SB 903, I have personally introduced legislation to: prohibit any state agency from using taxpayer dollars to hire a lobbyist to attempt to influence legislation (SB 858); prohibit elected state officials from accepting a paid position within a state agency until at least two years after the expiration of the official's term of office (SB 859); prohibit elected state officials from lending his or her name or likeness to an event designed to raise funds for another individual who is registered as a lobbyist (SB 854); require Senate confirmation of all Gaming Board appointees (SB 855); prohibit gaming interests from contributing to any candidate's political committee at any time (SB 856).

While I understand why some have called for a special session I believe we should be able to manage our responsibilities and duties in regular legislative session, as the Senate has shown that it is capable of doing.  Now if a special session is convened, I will be in Harrisburg on behalf of my constituents, as always, and be an active participant.  The changes the Senate has made internally and the legislation it has approved will help restore public confidence in state government and ensure that the legislative process is open, accountable and ethical in its conduct.  As a public servant, I am committed to that goal and we need to continue our efforts.