Good start
Pennsylvania’s lobbying regulations could be in for a vast upgrade if six Republican state senators have their way.
“Lobbyists have their place in the legislative process, but the influence they wield continues to grow exponentially and must be reined in,” said state Sen. Scott Wagner, R-York, in announcing the proposed regulations.
One of the lawmakers is state Sen. Camera Bartolotta, R-Carroll Township, whose district includes all of Greene County, most of Washington County and part of Beaver County. She’s proposing legislation that would require public officials to disclose if they’re related to a lobbyist.
“It’s important this legislative package addresses all facets of lobbyist reform including those families who straddle two worlds with a spouse working within the General Assembly and the other working for a lobbying firm. No doubt, this information should be disclosed for public record,” said Bartolotta.
Barry Kauffman, executive director of Common Cause Pennsylvania, praised the measures overall, noting the legislators sponsoring the proposals deserve credit for coming forward and trying to reform the state’s lobbying system.
He said that Bartolotta’s proposal and another one to prohibit lobbyists from working in a paid capacity for a political campaign would have the biggest impact because they would level the playing field for all lobbyists. Having a lobbyist with relatives in government or one who is working for a political candidate gives them an unfair advantage over other lobbyists and could also lead to undue influence over politicians, said Kauffman.
He said one measure which would require lobbyists to report anything of value provided to a state official or employee would also be an improvement. He said Common Cause has been lobbying for years to ban all gifts for lawmakers. Failing that, he said there should be strict limits on the amounts of gifts and full disclosure of them.
The only troublesome measure, said Kauffman, is a proposal to increase penalties for lobbying illegalities from $2,000 to $4,000. Kauffman said while there have to be penalties for those who violate the law, big fines could put some small lobbyists out of business. He said one option would be to make several classifications for lobbyists, with bigger groups being fined more than smaller ones.
Kauffman cautioned that he would have to see the final language of the measures before his group could support any of them, but overall they seem like a step in the right direction.
He predicted the moves would also be popular among lobbyists because they would level the playing field for everyone. He said the gift ban, in particular, would make life easier for lobbyists, who wouldn’t have to spend countless hours wining and dining lawmakers if it was forbidden.
Kauffman noted that since the Republicans control both chambers of the state Legislature the lawmakers are “in a good position” to get the bills passed. “But they’re going to have work hard and diligently to make it happen,” he added.
Kauffman said Common Cause would still like to see more public disclosure for politicians themselves and also a limit on campaign contributions. Kauffman said Pennsylvania is one of only a few states without any such restrictions on campaign contributions, noting that larger political action groups have a big advantage over smaller groups because they can give more money to various candidates.
“The influence of some of these groups has got out of balance,” said Kauffman.
Certainly, we support the efforts of these GOP lawmakers to give the state’s lobbying system an overdue makeover. However, as Kauffman said, they’re going to have to work hard to get the legislation passed.
Let’s also hope that lawmakers carry out further reforms involving full financial disclosure for politicians and limiting campaign contributions. They would be the biggest improvements the legislature could do to clean up the state’s political system.