Reform

By Brendan F. Boyle

Public confidence in state government has suffered due a lack of transparency from Harrisburg. The public deserves full accountability from their elected officials at all times, period.

Unfortunately, over the past several years, votes held out of the public eye in the dead of night as well as the blurring of the line between legislative and political activity by several high profile elected officials have undermined reform efforts and brought public trust in state government to lower levels than ever before. I have always been a strong supporter of transparency and comprehensive ethical standards for all public officials, and as a member of the community and a taxpayer as well as an elected official, I feel that those who are responsible for making decisions regarding public policy should be held to the highest ethical standards and levels of accountability by the people they serve. Our basic principles of good governance should demand no less. To that end, I have proposed HB2411, requiring all state employees and lawmakers to undergo mandatory ethics training.

I firmly believe that the public has a fundamental right to know that all legislation being voted on by their elected officials is being carefully considered and thoughtfully debated, and that the public good is always at the forefront of their thinking. Votes held on legislation without meaningful public dialogue and complete transparency are both outrageous and unacceptable. I will continue to be a fierce advocate for substantive reforms that will bring greater accountability to Harrisburg and renew public trust in our government.