Drucker, McIlvaine Smith among those unveiling reform bills
July 10, 2009 | Filed in: Government
transparency
By DAN KRISTIE
[Chester] Daily Local News
Two state representatives from Chester County are among a group of legislators who earlier this week unveiled a package of reform bills aimed at putting an end to legislative practices that have recently attracted criticism. Paul Drucker, D-157th, of Tredyffrin, said he will introduce a constitutional amendment intended to prevent gerrymandering, the practice of drawing legislative districts in shapes that favor the electoral victory of certain candidates. And Barbara McIlvaine Smith, D-156th, of West Chester, said she will introduce a bill that will prevent workers in the judicial, executive, legislative and independent branches of state government from receiving bonuses. This bill, McIlvaine Smith said, is intended to prevent legislators from rewarding with bonuses staffers who take a temporary leave of absence to do campaign work. Other bills in this package would require legislators to contribute to the cost of their health care and would create a searchable database that would allow voters to learn what gifts legislators have taken from lobbyists. Drucker said that, in order to fulfill a campaign promise, he helped compile and put forward this package of reform bills. A freshman legislator, he said during his 2008 campaign that reform was the first major issue he would take on when he got to Harrisburg. Drucker's constitutional amendment would require that, following each U.S. census, the legislature create a nine-member bipartisan committee that will be in charge of redrawing legislative districts. The committee would be instructed to make sure that the districts to not unnecessarily divide up municipalities. If a municipality must be divided, the committee must come up with a written justification for the division, according to a draft of the amendment. Drucker said the amendment will combat the practice of using partisan voting patterns instead of municipal borders as a rationale for drawing legislative districts. "Under the current system, voters don't pick their legislators — legislators pick their voters," Drucker said. "It's very undemocratic." The bill also allows people to file grievances if they find fault with the committee's proposed redistricting plan. Because Drucker is introducing the redistricting plan as a constitutional amendment rather than a bill, it will take longer to pass. Before becoming law, it would have to go up for voter referendum. Drucker admitted that a constitutional amendment would be likely to get more press and more notice than a bill. But, he said, an amendment will be "good for the process." McIlvaine Smith said that her bonus ban bill will go further than similar bills, which have only sought to forbid bonuses to legislative staffers. "I have gone a bigger step forward, so that nobody in state government can get bonuses for anything," McIlvaine Smith said. The press conference was attended by Babette Josephs, D-182th, of Philadelphia, who chairs the House Rules Committee. Drucker said that her presence meant the bills were highly likely to make it out of committee and come to a vote before the full House.
[Chester] Daily Local News
Two state representatives from Chester County are among a group of legislators who earlier this week unveiled a package of reform bills aimed at putting an end to legislative practices that have recently attracted criticism. Paul Drucker, D-157th, of Tredyffrin, said he will introduce a constitutional amendment intended to prevent gerrymandering, the practice of drawing legislative districts in shapes that favor the electoral victory of certain candidates. And Barbara McIlvaine Smith, D-156th, of West Chester, said she will introduce a bill that will prevent workers in the judicial, executive, legislative and independent branches of state government from receiving bonuses. This bill, McIlvaine Smith said, is intended to prevent legislators from rewarding with bonuses staffers who take a temporary leave of absence to do campaign work. Other bills in this package would require legislators to contribute to the cost of their health care and would create a searchable database that would allow voters to learn what gifts legislators have taken from lobbyists. Drucker said that, in order to fulfill a campaign promise, he helped compile and put forward this package of reform bills. A freshman legislator, he said during his 2008 campaign that reform was the first major issue he would take on when he got to Harrisburg. Drucker's constitutional amendment would require that, following each U.S. census, the legislature create a nine-member bipartisan committee that will be in charge of redrawing legislative districts. The committee would be instructed to make sure that the districts to not unnecessarily divide up municipalities. If a municipality must be divided, the committee must come up with a written justification for the division, according to a draft of the amendment. Drucker said the amendment will combat the practice of using partisan voting patterns instead of municipal borders as a rationale for drawing legislative districts. "Under the current system, voters don't pick their legislators — legislators pick their voters," Drucker said. "It's very undemocratic." The bill also allows people to file grievances if they find fault with the committee's proposed redistricting plan. Because Drucker is introducing the redistricting plan as a constitutional amendment rather than a bill, it will take longer to pass. Before becoming law, it would have to go up for voter referendum. Drucker admitted that a constitutional amendment would be likely to get more press and more notice than a bill. But, he said, an amendment will be "good for the process." McIlvaine Smith said that her bonus ban bill will go further than similar bills, which have only sought to forbid bonuses to legislative staffers. "I have gone a bigger step forward, so that nobody in state government can get bonuses for anything," McIlvaine Smith said. The press conference was attended by Babette Josephs, D-182th, of Philadelphia, who chairs the House Rules Committee. Drucker said that her presence meant the bills were highly likely to make it out of committee and come to a vote before the full House.