Discharge resolution on bonus ban bill

Representative Brad Roae sends us this regarding his discharge resolution for SB 986, the "Bonus Ban"

"On Monday I turned in a Discharge Resolution to pull the bill out of committee and bring it to the House Floor for action. It is considered going "over the head" of a ranking Member who is a committee chair to discharge a bill, but Pennsylvania taxpayers do not want over $3 million in bonuses being paid to legislative staffers each two year Session. Taxpayers don't like seeing that PHEAA had money for excessive employee bonuses but they are scaling back in money available to help college students. 30 other representatives signed there name after mine in supporting the resolution. House rules require 25 people and we have 31. My discharge resolution will force a vote on the bill Wednesday this week or Monday next week.

The House State Government Committee had a Committee Meeting Monday, but failed again to vote on bonus ban Senate Bill 986. That committee has had dozens of meetings and hearings in the past 11 months, but Rep. Josephs has refused to bring Senate Bill 986 up for a vote. Three bills were passed out of her Committee today and I have filed amendments to all three bills. My amendments are the wording of the bonus ban bill Senate Bill 986. One way or another, I want to make sure that we get to vote on the bonus ban bill.

The State Government Committee also has bills just sitting there dealing with campaign finance reform, ending the practice of jerrymandering legislative districts to protect incumbents, reducing the use of taxpayer funded state vehicles for personal use, reducing the cost of the Legislature, and many other reform bills. She does not want to bring about the "change" and "reform" that many political candidates and citizens are pushing for this year. I am making Senate Bill 986 my pet project for the next several weeks. I am hoping that other Members will do the same with the other needed reform bills."

In other reform news, all three Constitutional Convention bills passed the Senate State Government Committee today.