Reforms, Shout Outs, and Other Miscellania

Tonight's post is a hodge podge.

Reform

The PA House's Bipartisan Reform Commission has asked for citizen input and here is what I will be sending them.

We need more transparency:

Voting records and house journals made available in a timely manner. Bills and amendments made available in advance (before they are voted on), and I always like it when Greg Vitali asks who will benefit from the legislation – that should be included more often.

Other things to be made public: if bonuses are to be given out, legislative salaries; expenditures of legislative accounts (all those pricey lunches); lobbyist spending (bmore detailed than what we have now); easier access to other jobs legislators may hold (many have second jobs, some that pay more than they receive from the state), including directorships and unpaid positions on corporate or non-profit boards.

Regular business hours for the legislature. If they knew business would close at a certain hour they might use better time management.

Less power for committee chairs -- people should be able to introduce legislation and know that it will be seen and considered by more than a few people. Knowing everyone would have to vote on bills might keep people from clogging up the works with frivilous ones. Maybe not, let's give it a try.

Per Diems -- no unvouchered expenses, receipts for everything and the money must be claimed in a timely fashion, no claiming months or years worth of expenses at once.

That would be a good start.

Shout outs:

A few news stories I meant to write on and missed. Hats off to these folks.

Former Rep. Jerry Birmelin who, alone among those returning pay raise money, paid it directly to the state treasury and not to legislative accounts.
http://www.grassrootspa.com/blog/archives/12523

Rep. Eugene DePasquale, D-West Manchester Township, is voluntarily posting the expense reports that show how much he spends on things such as a state car and district office. (“Area lawmaker puts light on expenses,” by Richard Fellinger York Daily Record 1/28/07)

Rep. Dennis O’Brien (currently Speaker of the House) for saying legislative salaries would be made available annually. (“Speaker to release salaries of legislative employees,” by Tom Barnes Pittsburgh Post Gazette 2/06/07)


Miscellania

I have neglected a few posts in progress tonight and have instead been watching an unfolding saga within the progressive blogging community. All I can say is I'm glad to have just this one little half acre of the blogosphere to tend and not one of the larger plots. It is amazing the things that get people riled up.