Good afternoon. Thank you all for being here, I am proud to be here to sign House
Bill 1175, the lobbying Reform Act which will update and modernize the way
lobbying is done here in Harrisburg. This legislation is a piece of the effort to
change the way business is done in Harrisburg.
Its to create a more open and transparent government for the people of
Pennsylvania. This legislation addresses a very big concern among Pennsylvania
citizens. And that concern is that Harrisburg politicians are more
interested in the opinions of special interests than in their constituents.
That concern -- I'm afraid -- is justified. When I arrived here, I found an outsized
influence from outside interests on the business that gets done in this building.
The influence of these lobbyists touched every aspect of this government and
that's why I'm doing things differently. I want to ensure that my administration
has the best interests of Pennsylvanians at heart, rather than the best interests
of special interests in their representatives.
This is crucial because to govern effectively we need to rebuild trust in
government and we need to make sure that citizens across the Commonwealth know
that when we pass bills when we create laws we're doing so on their behalf.
That's why one of my first acts as governor was to institute a gift ban for
all employees in the executive branch. That's why I refuse to take a salary.
These steps are important because they show that we're here in Harrisburg to
govern, not to enrich ourselves or hobnob with well-heeled special interests.
That effort is strengthened by House bill 1175. This bill, which I'm going to
sign into law today, modernizes our lobbying rules, making them more
transparent and more open and it enforces stiffer penalties for not
playing by the rules. This bill will make lobbying disclosures entirely electronic
so that the people of Pennsylvania can see for themselves the lobbyists who are
registered, what they're doing, and how they're spending their money on the
causes they represent. This will allow the Department of State
to process these filings faster and in more open and transparent
way. This bill also strengthens penalties and fines that special interests will
have to pay for not playing by the rules. It doubles the fines for not filing
reports on expenditures to the Department of State and it increases
daily fines for failing to report. Additionally, this bill mandates that all
lobbying disclosures must be posted within seven days of their filing so
that our citizens have the most up-to-date information on what lobbyists
are doing right here in these halls. This legislation is long overdue. It's
going to help create a more open honest and, again, transparent government here in
Harrisburg. One that is more accountable to the people the citizens of
Pennsylvania. I am glad to sign this bill today which represents a continuation of
all of our efforts in the administration and in the legislature to create a more
open and honest government and to change the way that business is done here in
Harrisburg. If we want the people of Pennsylvania to believe that the work
being done in this building is being done on their behalf and for their benefit alone,
we must ensure that they can trust
that well-heeled special interests do not call the shots here. Our constituents
need to be sure that when they send a representative to Harrisburg, they're
sending someone who's going to be working on their behalf. This bill helps
to make our citizens confident that they are the ones in charge in Harrisburg. So
I want to thank our partners in the legislature for passing this bill and
for working to make a more open government. I especially want to
congratulate and thank Representative Cutler, who's the prime sponsor of this
bill and who's going to speak in just a minute, who worked diligently to get this
to my desk. I pledge to continue to partner with representative Cutler and
all those who want to make this government more transparent. I pledge to
continue to work to change the culture of this town for the better. I pledge
to continue to work to make sure our citizens know that their opinions are
the ones that matter the most. Thank you, and now I'd like to introduce
Representative Cutler.
Good afternoon. Thank you very much everybody for being here. I'd like to take
this time to personally thank representative Brandon Newman he was my
Democratic counterpart on this proposal as we've worked through it the last 10
or 11 years he was a good partner who has since moved on to become a member of
the judiciary out in Washington County I think this bill and this proposal is the
governor indicated it really demonstrates what we can all do when
we're willing to work together for the betterment of all the citizens of the
Commonwealth I've always said throughout this entire process as we've worked
through each legislative session if people believe in what we do in order
for them to do that and we're if them to believe in the product they have to
believe in the process this makes the process more accountable it makes it
more transparent and most importantly it also assists the lobbyists because they
now will get an electronic receipt when they file much like we track packages
that we order from Amazon where we file other reports online or make payments
online it will close the loop so that we'll have a definitive proof of when
things were filed I think it's important to increase that accountability on both
sides I'd like to thank the governor and his office they were fabulous to work
with as well as my colleagues in the house in the Senate it's been a long
time coming and I'm certainly looking forward to this and I'll now turn it
over to the secretary Thank You representative Cutler Thank You governor
I appreciate the opportunity to be with you today for today's signing into law
House bill 1175 and to support your strong commitment to ensuring an open
transparent government that works in addition to election administration
campaign finance reporting and Disclosure professional license
licensure and the registration of corporate and charitable organizations
the Department of State oversees lobbying Disclosure registration and
reporting we currently have two thousand nine hundred and sixty six lobbyists
lobbying firms and principals registered in Pennsylvania the Department of State
aims to provide the highest standards of accurate courteous and timely service
House bill 1175 is the latest example of how we continue to seek ways to
streamline our operations and improve services with the electronic filing of
registry and expense reports House bill 1175 s
requirement that all lobbying disclosures be filed electronically will
help transition transition approximately 20% of filings that are currently
received on paper this bill also increases the administrative penalties
that can be imposed upon under the lobbying Disclosure Act and some of the
legislations changes including the new penalties will be effective immediately
while the rest will be implemented over the next 60 days thank you to everyone
who worked to get this bill pass it helps to improve government operations
reduces Commonwealth expenses and advances to laws most important value
transparency we look forward to supporting other opportunities to
achieve achieve the same outcomes thank you for the opportunity to participate
today thank you very much now I'm gonna we're gonna sit down here and I'm gonna
sign the bill then I'm gonna come back here and answer questions on topic and
just in case they're questions not on topic I'll take those questions too but
first we're going to sign them
thank you very much
just
I'll see you bring me one too thank you
okay now any questions on topic yes
coming from some lobbyists begin identify any Oh feet is that we're
supposed to pay for the upgrade to the system by Ennio fee that's supposed to
provide a five hundred thousand dollar augmentation okay so you're going with
your current well yeah this and maybe representative Cutler would talk about
this but I think basically this is this is an attempt to do a better job of
making more transparent the filings that are already enshrined in current
regulations and to make sure that that the the regulations are actually being
adhere to on a timely basis is that yes the governor is correct in terms of the
current approach much of it can be used utilizing existing resources
there was a slight fiscal note that was attached to that but the house in the
Senate mainly related to the computer upgrades that would be required to send
the electronic receipts that I referenced during my comments but the
idea is to try to use existing resources to cover these upgrades because I think
it's something that everyone expects you know in terms of streamlining the
process and hopefully those efficiencies can then be driven back into the system
yes for now yes that's correct so this bill would force day the other
20% to to transmit any chronically
I don't have that information available
but it's driving besides the good transparent cover I think there's a
sense that there is less than 100 percent compliance with the regulations
and this will help us get closer to a hundred percent right there I believe
last year I think there was 14 as the number of the sticks in my mind we have
pulled the numbers because I actually see I'm Jeanette you I saw in the
audience had asked me this earlier if I remember correctly and we had I had the
breakdown for each year it is improving but one of the other areas of concerns
regarding the current system is there some uncertainty in what to do if the
computer system is down versus you know the law seems to imply and we clear this
up with this language thanks to everybody's involvement and highlighting
the problem the law seems to imply once you start filing by computer you can
never file by paper which implies even if it's down so by streamlining it it
makes it a lot clearer that you know filing is of the utmost importance and
then we can get everything in but the the number of individuals who are
non-compliant is improving but again I think it's important that we recognize
people for people would have faith in the process in the product you have to
be as transparent as you can on each of these issues and I can email it to you
as well anything else on topic we're finally catching up in terms of some of
the reporting you know there was some issues related to the lobbying
Disclosure law was first implemented there were some constitutional questions
that were raised it's been it's been redone this significantly improves us
and brings us more in line with other states anything else okay any questions
not on topic thanks a lot guys yes
I haven't decided I'm a party to the litigation so as a party to the
litigation I have standing to submit a map and if I do I will do it by five
o'clock tomorrow the the good question that the the court gave me the
responsibility for looking at the map that was submitted to me by the
legislature and to decide whether I thought that met the standard of a fair
map I've done that I rejected the map and as far as I know that was
specifically what they asked me to do as a defendant in this case as governor of
Pennsylvania I have standing to actually present my own map so I think I can say
that I've already done with the court as they asked me to do in terms of judging
and serving as the arbiter of whether the map that I got was fair I decided
that I it was not and if I go and do something beyond that that that's
something I'm doing because I'm a party to the litigation I'm not sure as I say
I haven't I haven't made the decision yet I mean there is there are other
people with standing who may or may not I don't know who is going to submit a
map or not I think that I have that that option and if I do it it'll be by
tomorrow to fly to fly
in pursuit of a fair person representation as you see it are you
okay with a math splitting more counties and municipalities been seen in the GOP
proposal in order to make one that you see you as more yeah I think one of the
tough things I'm I want a fair map and and contiguity compactness minimizing
splits those are all parts of a fair map and I think whatever the fair map ends
up being I think it minimizes the amount the number of splits and and that's
important it's not the only criterion however as I say if I provide a map
it'll be by five o'clock tomorrow and rather than dealing in speculation or
hypotheticals I'm gonna do what I end up doing yeah selecting what they feel is a
fair map and do you feel advantage tasking the court for an
extension to try to work this out and a negotiated product of the legislation I
I did not have a problem and I don't have a problem with the time frame the
court laid out I think in this case the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has an
obligation to make sure that our democracy is running according to the
constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that's their job I think
that's what they have been doing here that's what they're trying to do here
and and I think they've given us a timeline they've given us the the rules
the constraints that were operating under and I think that we ought to be
honoring that those constraints anything else
you mean you mean it all did like the mathematician from Tufts and all the
people like that how much better yeah I don't have that at all I'll get that for
you yeah see or Mac for you so they know how to respond why not give them one to
facilitate negotiations ahead of the deadline right first of all I don't have
one that's one reason the second reason is that's not what the Supreme Court
said Supreme Court said they will give me a map and I will be the arbiter as to
whether it's fair or not so I'm not sure why the rules change in the course of
this I I'm I've expense expressed my willingness to work with the legislature
the Republicans I've met with them to work with them to get to a fair map and
I continue to stand by that but the time is running out tomorrow five o'clock is
the deadline at this point actually I think of you know an elementary school
students have the sophistication to draw a fair map
no I'm not I mean that's a serious answer there's actually been an
elementary school class that actually drafted a map that that was pretty fair
I think this is not something that that takes a computer it doesn't take a
wizard it takes somebody who actually wants to do something fair and my goal
is to have a fair map I think the Supreme Court's goal is to have a fair
map and I'm hoping that everybody in this process wants to end up at the same
place we will probably have some disagreements over where the fairness is
evidently I have a disagreement with the Republicans in the legislature but I
think we can get to a fair map and that as citizens we we have the ability to
draw a fair map and to judge whether the map is in fact fair
yeah or the people that I have engaged to work with me yep it is
you know if this goes on there's a challenge to whatever
at what point would you say okay we got to push the primary date back yeah I
haven't made that decision at this point but that is an option yeah
the court makes the map that would reduce constitutional crisis a Sunni
disagree with that
okay first on that lawyer and I'm certainly not a constitutional lawyer
but it seems to me that that the Supreme Court does have the ability in a case
affecting the constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the
democracy as we practice it here in the Commonwealth to weigh in and I think
that's what they've done so as a as a someone who watches what different
branches of government do to pass legislation but also to serve as
stewards of our democracy seems to me that that they're acting in a
responsible way here
No comments:
Post a Comment