Smucker Reform Measures See First Senate Action

The first two bills state Senator Lloyd Smucker introduced are reform measures, and today each took their first step through the legislative process.

"Voters and taxpayers in our area clearly want to see significant changes in Harrisburg, and these two bills are part of a broad reform effort aimed at making government more open and more accountable," Smucker said.

Senate Bill 101, which would increase the penalties for intentional violations of the state Sunshine law, was approved by the Senate State Government Committee. Under current law, the maximum fine is $100. The legislation would set a fine of up to $1000 for a first offense, and up to $2000 for a subsequent offense.

"The Sunshine Law is designed to encourage compliance. If it is not enforced, then compliance suffers, and the public interest loses out. With stronger penalties in place, officials will be less inclined to loosely interpret the requirements for openness and less likely to find creative justifications for private meetings," Smucker pointed out.

Smucker’s Senate predecessor, Gib Armstrong, pushed a similar bill through the state Senate last session, but the measure died in the House of Representatives.

"In recent months, the media have spotlighted Sunshine violations in various parts of the state, and the lack of consequence for these violations. This is increasing public interest and support for a remedy in the form of tougher penalties," Smucker stated.

Senate Bill 110 requires that logs be kept on the usage of state aircraft and the information be available for public review. This measure was prompted by a critical audit report from the state Auditor General. The bill was approved by the Senate Transportation Committee.

Contact:

David Atkinson
(717) 787-6535