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Scranton Times-Tribune
Outrage among state lawmakers over the most recent scandal regarding one of their own is so overwhelming that they have vowed to leap into action and … review their own ethics rules that facilitate criminal behavior.
That'll show 'em.
Democratic state Rep. Margo Davidson, who represented parts of Delaware County, resigned in July after pleading guilty to stealing from taxpayers in the form of reimbursements for bogus expenses, and to misusing campaign funds.
That was after she crashed her state-leased SUV twice in 12 days while driving with a suspended license -- which was not included in the charges to which she pleaded guilty.
She is just the latest elected representative to misuse the system illegally or legally.
Sometimes, it's difficult to tell the difference because lawmakers, who craft the rules that govern their own conduct, haven't bothered to require expense receipts and other documentation that would be a deterrent to stealing expense money.
Without such documentation, the question is whether Davidson is the only one or the one who got caught.
Republican Rep. Seth Grove of York County, chairman of the House State Government Committee, vowed to conduct hearings covering expense reimbursements, extravagant car leases and other ethics issues regarding lawmakers' access to public money.
He might have to begin with his own accounts. Spotlight PA, which covers the Legislature, reported that Grove did not report more than $30,000 worth of expenses over four years that appeared in other House records.
Hearings are fine as far as they go, but this is not a new problem. Proposals, including legislation, are introduced every session to clean up the ethical quagmire in which the Legislature does business.
The reform elements are well known: Documented and publicly disclosed expenses, mandated online publicly accessible expense reporting by every legislator, a ban on all "gifts" to lawmakers from lobbyists or others seeking favor in the Legislature, an end to luxury car leases in favor of publicly disclosed mileage reimbursements or use of state fleet vehicles for public business, campaign contribution limits, and a definitive ban on personal use of campaign money.
Lawmakers treat basic ethics as being highly complex when in fact it is a very simple issue: fundamentally, regarding finances, it's a matter of spending only what is necessary and reporting what you spend. That shouldn't require too many hearings.