Jun. 16, 2015
HARRISBURG – Members of the Government Reform Caucus yesterday expressed their support for a measure authored by Rep. Rick Saccone (R-Allegheny/Washington) that would prohibit gifts to legislators from individuals seeking to influence the outcome of legislation. The legislators made their announcement during a news conference at the Capitol in Harrisburg.
House Bill 43 would bar legislators from accepting gifts from those trying to influence the outcome of legislation. This would put an end to lobbyist-paid dinners, sports tickets, travel and entertainment. It also would codify a current House rule that bans accepting cash gifts of any dollar amount, applying the standard to all officeholders.
“The people’s trust in government is imperiled whenever the citizenry loses confidence in the integrity of its elected officials. Voters become apathetic and grow to believe that their voices don’t matter, that only moneyed interests have influence,” Saccone said. “This bill seeks to tackle this crisis in confidence head on, working to root out any hint of impropriety by banning practices that have been abused in the past and have sowed confusion among the populace. It would restore public trust in government by holding lawmakers to the highest ethical standards.”
Saccone’s legislation specifically targets relationships where a financial or political conflict of interest might exist between a public official and an individual or group who may wish to offer a gift.
If enacted, anyone who violated this statute could be charged with a felony, facing fines of up to $10,000 and five years in prison.
Since its inception in March 2013, the Government Reform Caucus has met regularly to develop and promote legislation to reform state government. The caucus is bipartisan and consists of members from both the Pennsylvania House and Senate.
Representative Rick Saccone
39th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Contact: 412.653.1025
RepSaccone.com /
Facebook.com/RepSaccone