DN Editorial: RE-FORM REFORM

IN RECENT weeks, state House and Senate members have tripped over themselves to enact new rules and laws to forbid legislators from taking cash from lobbyists and others seeking influence.

This is known as closing the barn door after the horse has bolted. Actually, a herd of horses.

Four House members, all from Philadelphia, are currently under scrutiny by the House Ethics Committee for taking $16,000 in cash from a "lobbyist" serving as an undercover agent for the state Attorney General. Meanwhile, state Senator LeAnna Washington is under indictment for blatantly using her legislative staff to perform political work.

The fact that elected officials were apparently engaged in a crass pay-to-play gambit wasn't surprising. The fact that it wasn't illegal in this state to take cash was.

It is a testament to the weakness of the laws that Pennsylvania has to govern elected officials.

Our campaign finance and ethics laws were passed 36 years ago, and have barely been touched since. While billed as laws that regulate political behavior, in reality there is little regulation.

When it comes to campaign finance, the general rule is anything goes. There is no limit on the size of political contributions and few rules on what constitutes campaign spending.

Our ethics law requires candidates and elected officials to disclose their finances, but the information is so scant it is laughable. No dollars amounts are required. Candidates routinely ignore the law's requirements, knowing that the chances of enforcement are minimal.

Most violations, if discovered, are misdemeanors, subject only to fines. On the campaign finance side, the fine for failure to file a spending report is capped at $250.

So, what do you get when you have weak laws with weaker enforcement?

You get an environment where influence peddling is the norm and corrupt acts go undetected and unpunished. It's hard to shake the image of wads of money being handed out as "gifts" or "campaign contributions."

There are some in the House and Senate who realize that more must be done. As Sen. Lisa Baker (R., Luzerne), who sponsored the Senate bill to ban cash, put it - in the understatement of the year - "The work of reform is far from finished."

Following the Bonsugaste scandal, lawmakers vowed reform, and even passed a few laws. But clearly, the DNA of the place has not changed.

Maybe it's too much to expect the ungoverned to govern themselves.

In the end, though, it's up to all of us to push for campaign and ethics reform . . . to write the rule book for better behavior in Harrisburg. We can require more detailed financial disclosures. We could limit campaign contributions. We could create an Office of Accountability, funded by new fees that candidates must pay when they file to run for office.

We don't have a monopoly on ideas on how to achieve a more honest government. Tell us what you think will work. Share your ideas on twitter using #goodgovpa. We'll publish the best, and make sure that lawmakers see them. A vigorous public conversation is just what's needed to let our elected officials know we are watching what they do next.