Inquirer Editorial: Another set of eyes

Pennsylvania lawmakers need to acknowledge that the environment in which they work can easily turn slimy and support a renewed effort to create a commission with the power to investigate public officials.

A virtual cornucopia of corruption scandals in the legislature in recent years has demonstrated that the job of ethics enforcement is too big for the state Attorney General's Office or the state Ethics Commission. Harrisburg desperately needs another watchdog.

That's why Rep. Curt Schroder (R., Chester) has renewed his push to create a permanent Public Integrity Commission. This agency would have the power to subpoena witnesses and documents and the ability to grant immunity to cooperating witnesses and to refer suspected crimes to law enforcement authorities.

The commission would hire trained officers to investigate corruption in all three branches of state government. It would be run by part-time commissioners who are chosen with input from the legislature, governor, and community advisers.

The annual cost would be about $5 million, and the legislation's sponsors think they have found a way to pay for it. They would extend an expiring surcharge for certain court documents, devoting $2 of that fee for the commission's operations.

Ideally, this agency shouldn't be necessary. But public officials in Pennsylvania's state government have an unfortunate habit of displaying short memories. After the pay-raise scandal of 2005, they promised to clean up their act. But they quickly lost enthusiasm for an effort by then-Speaker Dennis O'Brien (R., Phila.) to implement new ethics rules.

Soon afterward, then-Attorney General Tom Corbett began his probe into allegations that legislators and staffers were spending millions of tax dollars on illegal bonuses for campaign work. That prosecution has resulted in several convictions, with more cases pending.

The job of promoting integrity in Harrisburg is never-ending. This proposed commission would serve a valuable purpose in trying to keep honest not only the legislature, but the judiciary and the governor's cabinet agencies as well.

The bill has several Democratic sponsors, including Rep. Josh Shapiro of Montgomery County, which shows there is bipartisan support for it. One of its Senate sponsors is Sen. Ted Erickson (R., Delaware). These legislators should be applauded for waging what is undoubtedly an unpopular effort among some of their colleagues.

It's never easy to persuade legislators to permit greater scrutiny of themselves. But they should understand that the ultimate aim of this proposal is to instill more public confidence in state government, a necessary ingredient in any democratic endeavor.