Reform panel unified in supporting more government openness -- 06-12-07

Pennsylvania House of Representatives

139 Main Capitol Building, Harrisburg

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Bill Patton

717-787-4610

Reform panel unified in supporting more government openness

HARRISBURG, June 12 – The Speaker’s Commission on Legislative Reform today unanimously recommended that state and local government records in Pennsylvania should be presumed to be public documents, a change that would end the state’s status as a national black sheep on open records issues.

The commission also voted specifically to include the legislature itself in that presumption of openness. The proposal will be sent to Speaker Dennis O’Brien along with other recommendations made during the commission’s now-complete second phase of work.

The 24-member bipartisan group voted on Monday in favor of campaign contribution limits and a landmark cost-cutting initiative that would begin by cutting almost $32 million – a 10 percent reduction – from the legislative branch appropriation for the coming budget.

“Today’s change in the presumption of openness of government records will be a major victory if it becomes law,” said co-chairman Josh Shapiro. “It represents a break with past practice and it is real progress toward a new way of doing the people’s business in Pennsylvania.”

Shapiro and co-chairman David Steil presided over reform commission meetings that began in January and focused since April on several major reform proposals, including open records and campaign finance.

“I have been involved with efforts to reform the legislative process for more than 10 years,” Steil said. “The last several months represent the culmination of much of that work, but we recognize the story is not over. The recommendations of this commission must now be enacted as the law of Pennsylvania. That will be the real victory.”

The package of cost-cutting ideas was advanced Monday as an alternative to the idea of reducing the size of the legislature, which did not have wide support among the commission members. Another idea that did not win majority support was term limits.

On campaign finance, the commission voted to recommend that donation limits should exist for candidates running for the state legislature and for statewide offices. The panel also recommended that shadowy “527” groups that often spend large sums on campaigns without reporting their activity should be required to disclose their contributors and expenditures just like candidates and their committee already do.

“Along with proposing the changes to House rules that were adopted in March, the commission tackled a broad range of big issues in just five months,” said Shapiro. “I am proud to be associated with this hard-working group of colleagues who performed their assigned task seriously and diligently.”

Steil and Shapiro will oversee production of a final report to Speaker O’Brien covering the issues which he asked them to review.

No further meetings of the reform commission are scheduled, although O’Brien and the co-chairmen said the panel will not formally disband.

The role of the Speaker’s commission was to study issues and make advisory recommendations. The standard legislative process, including bill introductions, consideration by a standing committee, and passage by the House and Senate will determine which reform proposals move forward during the legislative session.

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