Reforming Government
Working to make state government more efficient and transparent.

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Senate Rules of Ethical Conduct

Senate Resolution 228 establishes new Senate Rules of Ethical Conduct designed to make the division between legislative and campaign work clear, provide annual ethics training, and impose strong penalties for violations. More Information

The Senate has undergone workforce reductions and a freeze on both hiring and current employee salaries in an effort to reduce its budget. This has reduced the Senate budget by over 15 percent, translating into $16 million in annual savings.

News

• Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee to Continue Probe of ODP Past Payment Practices 10/17/11
• Senate Panel Hears Prevailing Wage Testimony in Chambersburg 10/12/11
• Senate Finance Committee Hearing Examines Pension Issues, Possible Solutions 9/29/11
• Vance Committee Exposes Wasteful Spending 9/28/11
• Senate Passes Two Brubaker Bills to Save Local Tax Dollars 9/27/11
• Senator Pileggi: Senate Approves Bill Requiring Prompt Notification of Personal Data Breaches 9/21/11
• Senator Pileggi Unveils Proposal to More Fairly Allocate Electoral College Votes 9/13/11
• Governor Signs Two Erickson Bills Into Law 7/7/11
• White Bill to Post Project Funding Online Sent to Governor for Enactment 7/1/11
• Senator Smucker Floor Remarks – SB 101 Concurrence 6/30/11
• Senate, House Approve PennWatch Act 6/30/11
• Governor Signs Senator Corman's Lawsuit Reform Legislation 6/28/11
• Senate Passes Erickson Bill to Ensure State Regulations are Based on Reliable Data 6/8/11
• Senators Orie and Rafferty to Introduce Legislation in Response to Statewide Investigating Grand Jury Report on the Establishment and Issuance of Gaming Licenses 5/25/11
• Brubaker Legislation Would Freeze COLAs for Legislators, Government Officials 5/16/11
• Folmer Reform Bill Passes Senate 5/3/11
• Senate Approves Senator Browne's PennWatch Act 4/27/11
• Senator Smucker Remarks on Senate Passage of Increased Penalties for Sunshine Law Violations 4/26/11
• White Bill to Post Project Funding Online Approved by Senate 4/6/11
• Senator White Reintroduces Pension Reform Bill 4/5/11
• Senate Finance Committee Approves Browne Bill to Create Online Budget Database 2/14/11

Legislation

Senate Bill 105 directs the Independent Fiscal Office to create and maintain a searchable, database-driven budget website that the public can access. Sen. Pat Browne (R-Lehigh)  (House version signed into law as Act 18 of 2011.)

Act 56 of 2011 Increases the maximum penalty for violations of the state Sunshine Law and bars an agency from making a payment on behalf of a government official for violating the act. Sen. Lloyd Smucker (R-Lancaster)

Act 60 of 2011 requires that any state agency seeking to implement a regulation describe the data upon which the regulation is based as well as a detailed explanation of how the data was obtained and why it is acceptable. Sen. Ted Erickson (R-Delaware)

Act 79 of 2011 enables the governor to declare a state of fiscal emergency in Harrisburg, which would be triggered by the city's inability to meet its financial obligations and failure to adopt a financial recovery plan under Act 47. Sen. Jeffrey Piccola (R-Dauphin)

Act 61 of 2011 requires state agencies which receive funding under the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund Act (Key '93) to submit annual reports to the governor and General Assembly - including a description of projects, their locations and amounts requested - and post the information online. Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee Chair Mary Jo White (R-Venango)

Act 110 of 2011 opens birth records to the public 105 years after the date of birth and death records 50 years after the date of death. Sen. Bob Robbins (R-Mercer)

Senate Bill 162 requires state and local government agencies to notify the public of data breaches involving personal information within one week. Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi (R-Delaware)

Senate Bill 109 requires all paid advertising by state government to include the statement "Paid for with Pennsylvania Taxpayer Dollars." Sen. Mike Folmer (R-Lebanon)

Act 84 of 2011, Act 85 of 2011, Act 86 of 2011, Act 87 of 2011, Act 88 of 2011, Act 89 of 2011, Act 91 of 2011, Act 92 of 2011, Act 93 of 2011, Act 94 of 2011, Act 95 of 2011, Act 96 of 2011, Act 97 of 2011 reduce costs to taxpayers by raising the level at which counties, local governments and school districts must go through the formal bidding process.  Sen. Bob Robbins (R-Mercer), Sen. Mike Folmer (R-Lebanon), Sen. John Gordner (R-Columbia), Sen. Mike Brubaker (R-Lancaster), Sen. John Eichelberger (R-Blair), Sen. Mike Waugh (R-York)

Senate Bill 354 protects privacy by prohibiting the governor, the Department of Transportation or any other Commonwealth agency from participating in the Real ID Act of 2005 or any regulations promulgated under the act. Sen. Mike Folmer (R-Lebanon)

Senate Bill 304 requires the state Department of Environmental Protection to post and maintain all clean air State Implementation Plans on its website, and to provide the same to the standing Senate and House oversight committees. Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee Chair Mary Jo White (R-Venango)