Kasunic makes pledge
State Sen. Richard A. Kasunic (D-Dunbar) said this week he will fight for legislation to make Harrisburg more open, accountable and accessible to citizens. “The voters spoke loud and clear about the kinds of changes and reforms they expect in Harrisburg,” Kasunic said.
“Enacting these bold new reforms should be the Legislature’s first order of business when it returns to session in the weeks ahead.
“An average citizen should be able to easily find out how their elected leaders voted on bills, and they should have time and opportunity to voice their opinion on bills before the measure is voted on.”
Kasunic called this week’s bipartisan agreement to adopt many of the reforms as part of the Senate’s institutional rules a “positive sign.”
He said he would continue to work with fellow Democrats and the new Republican leadership team to enact lasting reforms that will ensure “accountability and transparency throughout the entire General Assembly.”
Kasunic said he will back the reintroduction of a Democratic reform package (Senate Bills 102, 103 and 104) that would usher in numerous reforms aimed at giving lawmakers more time to read over, debate and deliberate bills; make more legislative information available on the Internet; and prevent the kind of stealth-type legislation that produced bills like the controversial 20005 late night pay raise.
The bills were bottled up in Republican-dominated committees until the past legislative session ended.