Legislature sharing information online
January 15, 2009 State government | SB 107 Salary Information Act | SB 105 Taxpayer Transparency Act
By RICHARD FELLINGER
(Hanover) Evening Sun Harrisburg Bureau
From streaming video of debates to listings of obscure committee votes, the state Legislature has kept pace with a national trend and put more information online in recent years.
Yet some watchdogs and lawmakers say the Legislature can do more to satisfy an Internet-savvy public in an era when government accountability counts.
Through the Legislature's main Web side - www.legis.state.pa.us - constituents can click onto pages that will let them read bills and amendments and find out how their legislator voted on the floor or in committee.
Constituents can also sign up for e-mails of daily session activity, and watch streaming video of floor sessions and even certain committee hearings. Full transcripts of floor debates are also available in House and Senate journals, but it can be weeks or months until they're posted.
"We are always discussing new information to add online about every level of government, including the legislature," wrote Erik Arneson, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, in an e-mail.
Pileggi has sponsored a bill that would create an online listing of the salaries for all government employees, and Sen. Pat Browne, R-Lehigh, has authored a bill to create a searchable state budget database.
Some lawmakers put their expenses on their Web site, but they aren't required to. Those who do it were prompted by Rep. Eugene DePasquale, D-York, who was believed to be the first lawmaker to post his expenses when he took office two years ago.
DePasquale's expense report shows what he spends each month on thing such as his state auto lease ($292 for a Ford Focus) and district office lease ($756 a month).
Harrisburg activist Eric Epstein said expenses for all lawmakers should be posted online.
"People have a right to know how taxpayer dollars are being spent. I think people are tired of the notion of discretionary reporting," Epstein said.
But legislative leaders don't seem to like the idea.
"We're deferring to the choice of the individual member," said Bob Caton, spokesman for House Speaker Keith McCall, D-Carbon.
As it is, the Web page for each chamber has a section informing people how they can request records under the state's Right-To-Know Law.
Barry Kauffman, executive director of the watchdog group Common Cause of Pennsylvania, credited the Legislature with features such as streaming video, saying not everyone has cable and can see session broadcasts by the Pennsylvania Cable Network.
But Kauffman also said the Legislature could do a better job of displaying its online information, because it's not always easy to find.
"Maybe they ought to have some of these things more prominently available," he said.
CHECK IT OUT:
The Legislature's Web site is www.legis.state.pa.us. It includes:
(Hanover) Evening Sun Harrisburg Bureau
From streaming video of debates to listings of obscure committee votes, the state Legislature has kept pace with a national trend and put more information online in recent years.
Yet some watchdogs and lawmakers say the Legislature can do more to satisfy an Internet-savvy public in an era when government accountability counts.
Through the Legislature's main Web side - www.legis.state.pa.us - constituents can click onto pages that will let them read bills and amendments and find out how their legislator voted on the floor or in committee.
Constituents can also sign up for e-mails of daily session activity, and watch streaming video of floor sessions and even certain committee hearings. Full transcripts of floor debates are also available in House and Senate journals, but it can be weeks or months until they're posted.
"We are always discussing new information to add online about every level of government, including the legislature," wrote Erik Arneson, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, in an e-mail.
Pileggi has sponsored a bill that would create an online listing of the salaries for all government employees, and Sen. Pat Browne, R-Lehigh, has authored a bill to create a searchable state budget database.
Some lawmakers put their expenses on their Web site, but they aren't required to. Those who do it were prompted by Rep. Eugene DePasquale, D-York, who was believed to be the first lawmaker to post his expenses when he took office two years ago.
DePasquale's expense report shows what he spends each month on thing such as his state auto lease ($292 for a Ford Focus) and district office lease ($756 a month).
Harrisburg activist Eric Epstein said expenses for all lawmakers should be posted online.
"People have a right to know how taxpayer dollars are being spent. I think people are tired of the notion of discretionary reporting," Epstein said.
But legislative leaders don't seem to like the idea.
"We're deferring to the choice of the individual member," said Bob Caton, spokesman for House Speaker Keith McCall, D-Carbon.
As it is, the Web page for each chamber has a section informing people how they can request records under the state's Right-To-Know Law.
Barry Kauffman, executive director of the watchdog group Common Cause of Pennsylvania, credited the Legislature with features such as streaming video, saying not everyone has cable and can see session broadcasts by the Pennsylvania Cable Network.
But Kauffman also said the Legislature could do a better job of displaying its online information, because it's not always easy to find.
"Maybe they ought to have some of these things more prominently available," he said.
CHECK IT OUT:
The Legislature's Web site is www.legis.state.pa.us. It includes:
- All bills and resolutions introduced
- Roll call votes from the floor and committees
- Streaming video of floor debates on session days
- Transcripts of floor debates in House and Senate journals
