Harrisburg has once again been rocked by scandal. According to charges brought by Attorney General Tom Corbett, millions of taxpayer dollars were misdirected for partisan purposes. A dirty dozen that includes former legislators, sitting lawmakers, and top legislative staffers has been accused of rewarding state employees with bonuses for working on political campaigns. You can read more by checking out this editorial in the Philadelphia Daily News. Some in Harrisburg responded to the allegations by calling for a special session ethics. Here is a quick rundown of some the reforms being suggested and how they relate to the current scandal.
Campaign finance reform. Currently, there are no contribution limits for individuals or Political Action Committees (PACs). If some billionaire wanted to drop a $1 million into the coffers of someone campaigning for state office, there is nothing stopping them. As a result, lawmakers are forced to raise large amounts of cash to remain electorally competitive. This creates a lot of pressure for high dollar fundraising. In fact, one of the staffers indicted by Corbett is alleged to have run an illegal fundraising operation directly from the state capitol. Campaign finance limits-- like the limits set at $2,300 for contributing to federal candidates-- could help change the cash soaked culture that produced the bonus scandal.
Redistricting. It's impossible to know the motivation of those who handed out bonuses, but clinging to power had to be near the top of the list. Tax dollars were used to fund an incumbent protection racket to protect entrenched leaders. The current system for drawing legislative districts operates the same way. Lawmakers game the system to ensure that the majority of districts are either overwhelmingly Republican or Democrat. As a result, very few elections are actually competitive. Reformers have suggested giving responsibility to a nonpartisan agency that would draw districts based on population data and existing geopolitical boundaries.
Budget reform. Ultimately, the bonus scandal is about the misuse of tax dollars. The actual dollar amount-- $1.9 million-- is small compared with a much bigger item: the $23 billion state budget. Given the willingness of politicians to use state funds for bonuses, it seems likely that other allocations of tax dollars might be suspect as well. Reformers have suggested a number of changes to make the budget process more open and accountable. These include requiring that negotiations between top legislative leaders be made public, creating an independent authority to review revenue projections, and penalizing lawmakers for failing to produce a state budget on time.
None of these changes will happen without pressure from outraged citizens. If bonusgate makes you angry (and it should), check out some of the organizations below that are working to change Harrisburg:
Common Cause - PA * Democracy Rising PA * League of Women Voters - PA