From the SCRANTON TIMES-TRIBUNE Editorial:
A recent study of government integrity standards and enforcement in all 50 states gave Pennsylvania a generous “C-plus.” But it didn’t go into detail on the most fundamental question – whether the agency truly is independent of the entities it is supposed to regulate.
The Ethics Commission is supposed to monitor state legislators and other public officials – the same people who appoint members of the Ethics Commission and fund it. The governor and a handful of legislative leaders appoint members, without even confirmation by the full Legislature.
It’s not surprising, then, that the commission is woefully funded relative to the scope of its task. Keeping the agency on a short leash is one aspect of public policy on which Democrats and Republicans have agreed. As reported by Pennsylvania Independent, Gov. Ed Rendell’s last budget reduced the agency’s funding by $194,000 with the approval of the Republican majorities in the Legislature. Gov. Tom Corbett recommended cutting another $88,000 from the agency’s $1.7 million budget, but the Senate declined…
Click here to read the full article.
