Third anniversary of infamous pay-raise recognized
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HARRISBURG -- A slim slice of carrot cake sat on a podium in the state Capitol rotunda today, marking the third anniversary of the infamous legislative pay-raise vote of July 7, 2005.
A coalition of citizens' groups said the small piece of cake represented the state's new open records law -- the one and only piece of reform legislation that the General Assembly has enacted in the wake of a huge public outcry over the 2 a.m. vote to increase legislative salaries by up to 34 percent, an increase that was later repealed.
"There is not very much cake for the people of Pennsylvania to eat," said Gene Stilp of Taxpayers & Ratepayers United, who hauled an inflatable pink pig around the state in late 2005 and 2006 to protest the pay raise.
The Legislature did approve some changes to its operating procedures, such as adjourning most sessions by 11 p.m. and waiting between six and 24 hours before taking final votes on bills.
The new open records law won't take effect until Jan. 1. It overhauled the Right-to-Know Law and, among other things, will expand the type of state records that must be disclosed publicly and will require state agencies to prove why some records should be kept secret.
"There is a new attitude and a new approach" to providing records to the public, House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese, D-Waynesburg, said after the law's passage several months ago.
And yet, the leader of one citizens' group, Tim Potts of Democracy Rising PA, said today that he has "no confidence in the open records law." He is concerned that the Legislature will continue to find reasons why records shouldn't be released to the public.
His group was founded after another early-morning legislative vote -- the enactment of the slots casino law about 5 a.m. on July 4, 2004.
Mr. Potts, Mr. Stilp, Matt Brouillette of the Commonwealth Foundation and other citizens' group leaders, still trying to engender government transparency, issued a highly critical "report card'' on reform for the General Assembly.
"There has been no progress" in making the Legislature more open and accountable to the public, claimed Richard Schirato, of Pennsylvania Citizens for Legislator Accountability. "There has been no change."
Among specific priorities, the coalition called for regularly published expense account reports on every single state legislator.
Saying one small piece of cake was not enough proof of progress over the last three years, Mr. Potts promised the reform movement would continue to try to "rip the roof off the building."
First Published July 7, 2008 1:37 pm
