Category: Pa Legislature

Musto Indicted For Bribery

Musto Indicted For Bribery — A federal grand jury, this morning,  indicated Pennsylvania State Sen. Raphael “Ray” Musto for taking thousands of dollars in money and services in bribes and kickbacks.

Musto , a Democrat, has represented the 14th District since 1982. He did not seek re-election this year.  Musto is facing six charges including  bribery and making false statements to the FBI.

The bribery occurred between 2005 and 2010.

At a  2 p.m. press conference, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania Peter J. Smith said Musto purposefully concealed money and gifts failing to report them on appropriate statements of financial interest.

Musto served in congress in 1980 replacing the legendary Dan Flood to represent the 11th Congressional District winning a special election caused by Flood’s resignation after being censured for bribery.  Musto, however, later that year narrowly lost  to Republican James Nelligan for an election to a full term.

Musto Indicted For Bribery

Sacrifice, Leadership And Pa COLAs

Sacrifice, Leadership And Pa COLAs — Pennsylvania legislators, judges and other top officials are getting a 1.7 percent cost-of-living-allowance raise. This means that the salary for our state legislators will rise from $78,315 to $79,623, while salaries for the four legislative floor leaders increase from $113,468 to $115,364.

The cost of living allowance (COLA) raise did not require a vote. A1995 law  bestows such raises automatically based on changes in the
federal government’s Consumer Price Index for the mid-Atlantic states.

Do you think that given the economic suffering and the state’s financial difficulties they might have voted to forgo the raise this year? I know, stupid question.

For some irony the extra $1,300 a state legislator will be getting next year is about what the average Pennsylvania household will soon be paying in extra taxes due to the “Gen Theft” legislative pension bailout bill that was just passed.

Basically, we have to make allowances for the cost of their living.

Sacrifice, Leadership And Pa COLAs

Pa. Tea Party Ponders Opposing Expected Speaker

Rep. Sam Smith of the 66th District got the nod to be Speaker of Pennsylvania House at closed door meeting of the soon-to-be-in-control Republican caucus on Nov. 9 but the official vote comes Jan. 4 and it will be done in the open.

Bob Guzzardi of LibertyIndex.Com notes that if all Democrats and 11 Republicans vote against Smith, he will not get the job.

Smith was the man who submitted the infamous 2005 legislative pay-raise bill.

To his credit, though, he voted against the recently passed Gen Theft Pension Bailout Bill.

Tea Party favorite Rep. Daryl Metcalfe of the 12 District has asked that the Nov. 9 vote  be postponed until December so those members of 112-member Republican House Caucus who are new to Harrisburg could get a better feel of the personalities seeking the offices.

The state’s Tea Party movement is pondering a phone-bank crusade aimed at newly elected representatives encouraging them to vote against Smith, and other old guard Republicans tapped for top posts.

Bill Adolph Votes To Save His Pension

Bill Adolph and the rest of Delaware County’s contingent to the State House with the honorable exception of Steve Barrar (R-160) joined 165 “public servants” yesterday to vote to bail out the state’s public pension systems on the backs of the taxpayer.

Thirty-one — all Republicans — voted against HB 2497.

Commonwealth Foundation estimates the cost of the bailout to be $1,360 per year in state and local taxes for the
average homeowner starting in 2012.

Suggestions on turning the pension system into a defined-contribution 401K-type plan were rejected.

No serious discussion was brooked about re-negotiating with the recipients about accepting cutbacks in the pension payments.

No serious discussion was brooked about why Pennsylvania families should not receive a $1,360 cutback in their annual compensation.

Among the pensions Adolph et al were voting to save were their own. Adolph (R-165) would get about a  $64,000 per year pension if he should retire at the end of his next term.

A roll call of the vote can be found here .

It’s Always Groundhog Day In Pa.

Punxsutawney Samuel H. Smith of the 66th District  was elected Speaker of the Pennsylvania House by his fellow Republicans this morning. He assumes the role when the new legislative session starts Jan. 4 in which the Republicans will hold a 21-seat majority in the 203-member House.

Smith’s name is the first among the submitters of the infamous 2005 pay raise.

Smith had been  House Minority Leader.

Also as expected Mike Turzai of the 28th District was voted majority leader; Stan Saylor of the 94th District was voted majority whip.

 

Expected Pa Speaker Submitted The 2005 Pay Raise

The  leadership vote scheduled for tomorrow  to pick the Republican leaders of the Pennsylvania House has resulted in expressions of anger from the increasingly powerful Tea Party groups in the state.

Expected to be elected as Speaker of the House is  Samuel H. Smith of the 66th District and a resident of Punxsutawney, who is the now the House Minority Leader.

And that’s kind of ironic with regard to Smith’s hometown since what the Tea Partyers fear is a Groundhog Day with a daily wake-up to I Got You Babe for the next two years.

Smith’s name is the first among the submitters of the infamous 2005 pay raise .

Tea Party favorite Rep. Daryl Metcalfe of the 12 District has asked the vote to be postponed until December so those members of 112-member Republican House Caucus who are new to Harrisburg could get a better feel of the personalities seeking the offices.

Last week’s election gives the GOP a 21-vote majority in the body when it convenes in January.

Metcalfe and the Tea Party groups are also asking that the vote be held in the open rather than in the closed meeting as is traditionally done by both parties for the House and Senate.

The Tea Party group Delaware County Patriots has called the early, closed vote “business as usual”.

Besides Smith, Mike Turzai of the 28th District is expected to be voted majority leader; Stan Saylor of the 94th District , party whip; and Rep. Dave Reed of the 62nd District as GOP policy chairman.

Hat tip to Bob Guzzardi of LibertyIndex.Com.

Pa House Members Use Per Diem To Buy Houses

Pennsylvania state representatives  who don’t live within 50 miles of Harrisburg are eligible for a $163 per diem when in the state capital on legislative business. The money is supposed to be used for food and board — $111 for housing and $52 for meals.

It turns out some of members of our legislature are using it to solve the housing crisis.

For instance Jim Wansacz (D-114), rather than stay at hotels, bought a three-story row home at314 S. Second St. on Oct. 2, 2003, for $72,000, and is using the per diem to pay off his 30-year mortgage. Pretty clever.

He acknowledges he also rents to other legislators.

Now you might wonder why our representatives need the stipend since they are already getting a base pay of $78,000 along with a lot of really great benefits, but that would just show your insensitivity and intolerance to the important work they do.

For a list of other houses being bought by House members see this story from the Scranton Times-Tribune.

For solution to the problem, see this.

Kudos to Nathan Benefield of Commwealth Foundation for the tip.

 

Pa House Members Use Per Diem

 

Pa House Members Use Per Diem To Buy Houses

Cut Pennsylvania Legislature Size?

It seems a crusade is trying to be started to cut the size of the Pennsylvania state legislature to make it more like California, a significantly larger state in terms of geography and population which has 120 legislators compared to Pennsylvania’s 253 and which spends less on legislative salaries than Pa. Cut Pennsylvania Legislature Size?

Of course, as poorly as Pennsylvania is run I’m not so sure we would want to trade places with the not-so-anymore Golden State.

And why would we want to give up representation? It sounds more like a ploy to increase the influence of city machines, such as that of Philadelphia, than to save money.

So why not a crusade to go the other direction — increase the size of the legislature yet cut the salaries and benefits. For instance, New Hampshire, a significantly smaller state than Pa in terms of geography and population has 424 legislators but pays them just $200 for a two year term.

Of course, we don’t have to go that far. We can keep the size of the legislature as is and simply cut salaries.

The base pay for legislators is about $78,000. This doesn’t includes bennies, of course, and committee chairmen and party leaders and such get more.

So how about this:  Change the pay scale to $1,000 per day for the month of February. There would be no benefits, of course, but $28,000 — or $29,000 I don’t oppose the extra grand for leap years — is  still pretty sweet, and ending bennies would have the educational effect of making our servants understand what we must go through when funding retirements and buying health insurance.

The would be no per diem to cover expense, but a hotel near the Capitol would be rented at taxpayer expense to provide free rooms — two per room with the roommates being of opposing parties where possible. Breakfast and dinner buffets akin to those available to dormers at our state colleges would also be provided at taxpayer expense.

Missing votes will result in a loss of the day’s pay.

If the legislative business should be required to go beyond February, our servants will still get the free room and board but the pay scale would drop to $50 per day.

An interesting experiment might be mandating the rooming at the hotel while encouraging the legislators to exercise their Second Amendment rights to personal protection.

Regardless, in no way do we want to be like California.

 Cut Pennsylvania Legislature Size?

Adolph Replaces Civera As Appropriations Chairman

Adolph Replaces Civera — The members of the Pennsylvania House Republican Caucus, yesterday, elected William Adolph  to replace  Mario Civera as Appropriations Chairman for the rest of the 2009-2010 legislative session.

Civera, who represents the 164th District, won a seat on Delaware County Council last November and will be resigning from the legislature, according to House GOP Leader Sam Smith of the 66th District.

Adolph represents the 165th District and lives in Springfield.

Adolph Replaces Civera As Appropriations Chairman

Legislators Not Passing Out Calendars This Year

Legislators Not Passing Out Calendars This Year — The calendars featuring photos of the state capitol  that our legislators bestow on favored constituents were not printed this year due to Pennsylvania’s financial difficulties.

The Senate spent $59,612 in 2009 on printing and distributing
calendars. The cost to the House was about $90,000.

Meanwhile assistants to the assistants of school superintendents are still making six figures in many if not most districts in this state.

But the calendar cutting is a start.

Legislators Not Passing Out Calendars This Year