"They've been able to wait out the anger of citizens"

From the Phoenixville News.

Lawmakers near session end with mixed marks
By MARK SCOLFORO 10/20/2008

It may be too kind to grade what has sometimes sarcastically been called the Era of Reform in Harrisburg as an incomplete.

Nearly two years ago, state lawmakers eagerly seized the mantle of reform in hopes of getting back into the good graces of voters angered by their dead-of-night vote to jack up their own salaries.

As the 2007-08 session winds to a close, legislators again find themselves under a dark cloud of their own creation. In this case it consists of allegations that bonus payments to staffers and other public expenditures were illegal campaign subsidies.

The fall campaign's final stretch of knocking on doors, dining on rubber chicken and marching in parades is sure to bring questions for Harrisburg's political class about what has been done to improve the integrity of state government.

At this point, that record basically consists of an impressive new Right-to-Know Law and a few dozen changes to the rules that govern the day-to-day operations of the House and Senate. (Those rules already have been suspended occasionally and could be weakened in January.)

As for campaign contribution limits, a less partisan redistricting process, a prohibition on gifts from lobbyists, a smaller Legislature, term limits, merit selection of appeals judges or a ban on performance bonuses for state workers? Nothing.

Forget about a constitutional convention — the House rejected even studying the idea.

Part of the problem is there is no consensus on what constitutes "reform," a term that can be hijacked by lawmakers needing to polish up whatever issue they happen to advocate. "I'm disappointed that this could occur during the Era of Reform" as faux outrage has nearly become a state Capitol cliche.

Last year, as the House voted against partially random selection of its eight-member Ethics Committee, Rep. Kate Harper was undoubtedly speaking for many of her colleagues when she brought up the R-word.

"I stand here at my peril, knowing that the cause of reform is so well-liked by the press that if the cafeteria offered a sandwich made of dead skunk called 'reform du jour,' we'd probably all order it and eat it," said Harper, R-Montgomery.

Reform even spawned its own miniature lobbying class, drawn from many of the same people who helped successfully pressure the General Assembly to repeal the July 2005 pay raise.

Their reviews of the record so far are withering:

l "Most legislators flunked out of reform school and are on scholarship from Lobby U," said Eric Epstein of RocktheCapitol.org.

l "We're more likely to see reform resulting from trials and court proceedings than we are from the Legislature doing its job," said Democracy Rising PA co-founder Tim Potts.

l "As they have in the past, they've been able to wait out the anger of citizens," said Commonwealth Foundation president Matthew Brouillette.

l "If this was the so-called Reform Legislature, maybe the next Legislature is the Last Chance Legislature before the voters really get riled up," said Common Cause of Pennsylvania's Barry Kauffman.

But lawmakers who helped lead reform efforts see a prelude to what they hope will be additional efforts to make state government more ethical, understandable and accountable.

Rep. Babette Josephs, the Philadelphia Democrat who chairs the House State Government Committee, said top on her list of priorities for next year are ways to modernize voting rules, including relaxed qualifications for absentee ballots and a later deadline for new registrants.

"We've accomplished more reform in this session than in any session in the last decade at least," said Rep. Josh Shapiro, D-Montgomery, co-chair of the House's reform commission. "The rules changes in the House — no disrespect to the Senate — were just a lot more expansive than what the Senate accomplished."

Senate GOP leaders note that some of their marquee reforms got stalled in the House, including tougher penalties for Sunshine Law violations, a formal ban on lame duck sessions and elimination of state government bonuses.

There's always next year, said Sen. Jeff Piccola, R-Dauphin.

"I think the public pressure on the Legislature to make changes is going to be tremendous," he said.