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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 20, 2009
CONTACT:
Owen Thomas
(717) 787-3076
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Senator Vogel Supports State Government Reforms
10-Bill Package would increase openness, accountability
State Senator Elder Vogel Jr., (R-47) announced today he is supporting a
package of 10 bills introduced by Senate Republicans aimed at increasing
accountability and transparency in state government.
Senator Vogel and several of his colleagues hosted a press conference in the
State Capitol to announce the introduction of the legislative package. Among the
bills introduced today are measures to change how consulting contracts are
awarded, to increase penalties for violating the Sunshine Law which requires
public business to be done at open meetings, to ban bonus payments for state
employees, and to eliminate lame-duck legislative sessions.
"Most of the bills in this reform package were approved before by the
Senate," Senator Vogel said. "We need to continue to push them forward. The
people of Pennsylvania as well as the people of my district are tired of the
ways things have been in the past. We need more transparency in government. We
need to put information on the internet where people can see it. People should
be able to go on the internet and see what we are paid and what contracts are
out there. It's the right thing to do."
The 10-bill package includes:
- Senate Bill 101 would increase penalties for violating the
Sunshine Law.
- Senate Bill 102 would reform the procurement of consulting
contracts.
- Senate Bill 103 would prohibit bonuses for Commonwealth
employees.
- Senate Bill 104 would increase accountability related to the use
of state-owned vehicles.
- Senate Bill 105 would create a searchable online budget database.
- Senate Bill 106, a constitutional amendment, would eliminate sine
die legislative sessions.
- Senate Bill 107 would require the posting of government salary
information online.
- Senate Bill 108 would change the process for filling a vacancy in
the office of lieutenant governor.
- Senate Bill 109, the Taxpayer-Funded Advertising Transparency
Act, would let inform taxpayers regarding money spent on government
advertising.
- Senate Bill 110 would improve access to, and expand the
information contained in, state plane logs.
A video clip of Senator Vogel commenting on these bills may be found by
logging on to his website at:
www.senatoreldervogel.com.
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