Detail expenses, pay accordingly

Published: Saturday, November 01, 2008
Updated: Saturday, November 1, 2008 4:23 AM EDT

Reform was supposed to be the principal theme of the state legislative session that is about to end. But the session will be remembered more for the reforms that lawmakers directly or indirectly rejected rather than for the reforms they embraced.

Lawmakers did some good work. They passed a vastly improved Open Records Law, for example. But they failed to deeply reform the Legislature itself, despite the pressing need to do so, on matters large and small.

They never seriously considered the most sweeping reforms: reducing the size of the Legislature from its unnecessary 253 members, conducting a constitutional convention and legislative redistricting reform in order to create more competitive elections.

And, for the most part, they failed to get their own houses in order. The House adopted new operating rules and then waived them when the new rules — which were meant to ensure openness and compliance with constitutional procedural requirements to prevent railroading bills without notice — proved inconvenient. They continue to horde nearly $250 million in “legislative leadership accounts” — basically giant slush funds for use by caucus leaders — as the state government slips toward a projected deficit of $1 billion or more.

And, as demonstrated in the re-election campaign of Rep. Frank Shimkus of the 113th District, they did not even mandate true transparency in how they spend the public’s money.

An issue in the 113th race is Mr. Shimkus’ receipt of more than $29,000 in daily expense payments, known as per diems, over the two years of the legislative session. Although the amounts of the per diems are public record, their use is not. The money is supposed to compensate lawmakers for the daily living expenses they incur while in Harrisburg. But, incredibly, the rules do not require them to account for any of the money.

Out in the real world, people who must travel for business must provide receipts for their expenses. They are compensated for exactly what they spend.

Lawmakers, however, are paid $152 a day without having to account for any of it.

Some lawmakers have taken to posting, on their own Web sites, the number of days for which they claim the payments. That’s fine as far as it goes. But the House should revise its rules to require lawmakers to be compensated only for their actual expenses, as proved by receipt.