PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER:…Speaker-designee Sam Smith (R., Jefferson) and his colleagues want to adopt several reforms to make state government more transparent. Among them are immediate online disclosure of campaign donations, stronger “whistle-blower” protections for state employees who uncover corruption, and a one-year ban for campaign donors from receiving state contracts.
The Republican leadership recognizes that public trust of the legislature is at a low point. Beginning in January, legislators must take steps to restore the public’s confidence in state government…
The most notable omission is campaign-finance limits. The federal government and 39 states set limits on how much donors can contribute to individual candidates and political action committees; Pennsylvania allows unlimited contributions… (more)
