The Pennsylvania General Assembly is getting lots of positive press for its swift reaction to the news that several state representatives from Philadelphia accepted gobs of cash from a wired lobbyist. We do not join in that praise. Rather, we just see more business as usual. The legislature should be ashamed of its tepid response to the scandal.
The facts are, by now, well known. Four state representatives were caught on tape accepting thousands of dollars in cash from a lobbyist who was working undercover for the attorney general. With the attorney general declining to prosecute, the four representatives appear only to be in danger of sanctions for failing to report the “gifts.” Perhaps spurred on by public outrage, however, many legislators have expressed shock and surprise—(where have we heard that line before?)—that the acceptance of cash gifts from lobbyists is not prohibited. And the legislature—not known for swift or thorough ethics reforms—has seemingly been moved to act. But what is it that they are doing?
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