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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 16, 2008
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- News Conference

Senate Republicans Call for House Action on Reform Measures

Seven bills increasing Sunshine Law violation penalties, banning bonuses, posting government salaries online, and more await House passage.

HARRISBURG – Senate Republicans today called on the House of Representatives to pass and send to the governor seven pieces of reform legislation which passed the Senate unanimously earlier this year. 

Among the measures are increased penalties for government officials who violate the "Sunshine Law," the posting of government salary information on the Internet, a bonus ban for state employees, and several other measures aimed at making government more transparent. 

"These are seven measures that would implement real reform and which passed the Senate with bipartisan support. I urge the House of Representatives to act on them and send them to the governor to be signed into law," said Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R-Jefferson). "The Senate has implemented a host of new rules to make the legislative process more open and accountable. In that spirit, we decided not to hold a 'lame duck' legislative session following the November election, the aim of legislation sponsored by Senator Bob Regola (R-Westmoreland). But those rules only cover the Senate. To make lasting reforms across state government, we need the House to pass these bills." 

The seven reform bills awaiting House action are: 

• Senate Bill 467 – Increases the penalty for government officials who violate the Sunshine Law. Sponsored by Sen. Gib Armstrong (R-Lancaster): "The Sunshine Law is one of the pillars of good government, guaranteeing the public the right to attend and participate in government meetings.  Some notorious violations in different parts of the state proved that stronger enforcement provisions are needed to make the law more effective and bring more decision-making out of the shadows," Senator Armstrong said.
• Senate Bill 729 – Requires the state to post salary information for state employees on an official website. Sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi (R-Delaware): "Giving the public the ability to easily review how their money is spent makes good sense. As we continue efforts to make government more open and accessible, this is an important step forward," Senator Pileggi said.
• Senate Bill 903 – Prohibits any state agency from contracting with outside individuals or firms to do consulting work, unless the contract is reviewed by the Attorney General or is opened up to public competitive bidding. Sponsored by Sen. Jane Orie (R-Allegheny): "If there was one clear mandate in the last election, it was that the citizens of Pennsylvania demand a more open and accountable government and will not tolerate conflicts of interest designed to enrich public officials or political insiders," Senator Orie said.
• Senate Bill 986 – Prohibits any Commonwealth agency, including the legislature and the courts, from paying a bonus to any of its employees. Sponsored by Sen. John Eichelberger (R-Blair): "This bill establishes a very controlled pay structure in which bonuses, clearly defined in the bill, would be banned and sets forth criminal sanctions for anyone who intentionally approves or authorizes such a bonus," Senator Eichelberger said.
• Senate Bill 1015 – Requires all paid advertising by state government to bear the following disclaimer: Paid for with Pennsylvania taxpayer dollars. Sponsored by Sen. Mike Folmer (R-Lebanon): "Millions of taxpayer dollars are spent on advertising by the Commonwealth. Senate Bill 1015 will help taxpayers understand the amount of advertising that is done with their money," Senator Folmer said.
• Senate Bill 1201 – Provides stricter controls on use of Commonwealth aircraft, with information posted on a public website. Sponsored by Sen. Gib Armstrong (R-Lancaster): "Taxpayers expect us to insist on accountability measures wherever and whenever we can. In the case of the state planes, it is both easy and necessary to accomplish. When accurate records are kept, people can check to make sure that the planes are used only by authorized individuals and only for purely governmental purposes," Senator Armstrong stated.
• Senate Bill 1499 – Restricts the use of state vehicles and requires detailed mileage logs. Sponsored by Sen. Mike Folmer (R-Lebanon): "The bottom line is to make sure that every penny of every tax dollar is being used as wisely as it can, and to bring about accountability and transparency regarding this large fleet of state vehicles," Senator Folmer said.

One of the state Senate's first official acts of the 2007-08 legislative session was to adopt reform measures that change the way the chamber conducts business.

All roll call votes are posted on the Internet no later than 24 hours after a vote and committee votes on bills are posted within 48 hours of the vote. This allows citizens to read the bills that are being voted on and see how senators are voting. And to prevent late-night votes, session is now limited to the hours between 8 a.m. and 11 p.m. 

The new rules are part of an ongoing commitment to make state government more open and accountable to citizens. Another implemented reform: the complete transcript of every Senate debate is posted online within 45 days. Also, citizens can now search and review state contracts online and see who is lobbying the Legislature and the Governor's Office on which issues.

Seven Reform Bills Awaiting House Action (PDF)
Letter to the Honorable H. William DeWeese (PDF)
Letter to the Honorable Babette Josephs (PDF)
 

Contacts:

Tim Nyquist (Sen. Scarnati), (717) 787-7084
Erik Arneson (Sen. Pileggi), (717) 787-4712
Lee Derr (Sen. Orie), (717) 787-6538
David Atkinson (Sen. Armstrong), (717) 787-6535
Austin O'Neill (Sen. Eichelberger), (717) 787-5490
Joe Sterns (Sen. Folmer), (717) 787-5708