Issue Position: Legislative Reform

Issue Position

Our state government is too expensive--period. Only California spends more money on its legislature and California is three times our size. New York is a distant third, spending almost $100 million dollars less than Pennsylvania with seven million more people.Legislative reform is needed to curb this outrageous spending in Harrisburg. Seventy percent of the Legislature's spending goes to salary and benefits. Politicians are supposed to represent the people; it is hypocritical to take lavish benefits when your constituents are paying for them. Below are three areas that need to be addressed.

Restructure legislators' health care plans. Our State Representatives' health care plans are outrageous. Legislators only pay one percent of their salary toward their Cadillac health care plans--and that's an increase. They used to have a free ride until public pressure forced their hand. Now, the one percent (approximately $800) is only there for political reasons, and gets dwarfed by the cost of health care in the private sector. Going from zero to one percent isn't an appeasement, it is an insult.

No automatic salary increases for legislators. In 1995 Pennsylvania lawmakers' salaries started at $47,000. Today, their salaries start at $82,000 -- almost a 75 percent increase. But you don't remember them voting themselves more money, do you? That's because back in 1995 the Pennsylvania Legislature passed cost of living adjustment (COLA) legislation. Their COLA's are calculated based on the inflation rate of Philadelphia, the highest in the state. But the worst part is they never have to even ask us for a raise, or go on the record as voting for more money. Since 1995, they've simply let the COLA do the work. This is unfair. Lawmakers should have their pay increases publicly examined. No vote means no accountability. Let's make our lawmakers vote on their pay raises out in the open. Let's end this automatic salary increase.

End the per diem system. Pennsylvania state legislators receive $163 a day--on top of their salaries--just for showing up to work. These "per diems" are supposed to help legislators pay for food and lodging but are often misused. It is time to end them. For decades lawmakers didn't have to provide documentation or receipts. Now they have to show "documentation" but not receipts. They say the system is better--but is it really? Like health care, this is another marginal concession forced by public pressure. They still get the money just for showing up and they still don't have to show receipts. As your state legislator, I will refuse the per diem. Ultimately we should scrap the entire system. The hard working citizens of this area don't get their expenses paid for, why should politicians?

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