YORK, PA--State Representative Eugene DePasquale (D-York) recently proposed a package of much-needed reforms on campaign donations, lobbyist gifts, WAMs, the redistricting process, unexcused absences from legislative sessions, and voting in primaries. By bringing together new proposals and those previously made by himself and other legislators under one package, Reform PA will make Pennsylvania’s legislature more accountable to its citizens and create a more open voting process.
Pennsylvania should adopt current federal limits on campaign contributions and ban all gifts from lobbyists. “Legislation has been introduced for several terms on this subject by many members. Now is the time to take action on them. These reforms will help take big money out of fundraising and open the system up to smaller dollar donations. This is exactly what happened at the federal level and is a great road map for Pennsylvania,” says DePasquale.
DePasquale believes the redistricting process that is Pennsylvania needs to be completely overhauled. “The current system of giving complete control of Congressional reapportionment to the General Assembly is disastrous,” says DePasquale, “because it allows elected officials’ political agenda to determine how lines are drawn.” DePasquale proposes the creation of a nonpartisan committee composed of no elected officials. The General Assembly and governor must approve the redistricting plan, but cannot offer any amendments.
The recent cuts to taxpayer-funded grants that legislators can spend at their own discretion, known as “WAMs”, is a step in the right direction. However, those cuts should be made permanent. WAMs are granted in a way that defies honest budget making. “A solid ban on WAMS is long overdue,” says DePasquale.
DePasquale also proposes reducing legislators’ pay when they miss a legislative session without a valid excuse. Currently, a legislator can miss as many days of legislative session for any reason and not receive any penalty. “Legislators should show-up for the work they were elected to do,” says DePasquale. “If they do not attend a day of session and do not have a valid excuse, they should not be paid.”
In addition to these legislative and campaign reforms, Reform PA proposes to open up the voting process to more citizens by creating open primaries. This will allow all registered voters to cast a vote in primaries, giving independent voters a voice in primary elections.
“Theses reforms will help make the Pennsylvania legislature more transparent and more accountable to citizens,” says DePasquale, “while also giving more Pennsylvanians an opportunity to vote. I also believe it will enable us to make more progress in addressing the challenges facing Pennsylvania.”
DePasquale discusses Reform PA in his latest vodcast, found on his YouTube page (http://www.youtube.com/eugenedepasquale) and his Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/DePasqualePA)