Legislation Quick Search
03/28/2024 12:06 PM
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=H&SPick=20210&cosponId=33385
Share:
Home / House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

Subscribe to PaLegis Notifications
NEW!

Subscribe to receive notifications of new Co-Sponsorship Memos circulated

By Member | By Date | Keyword Search


House of Representatives
Session of 2021 - 2022 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted: December 10, 2020 09:56 AM
From: Representative Mike Zabel
To: All House members
Subject: Stopping Pay to Play
 
Every year, Pennsylvania awards hundreds of millions of dollars in state contracts for goods and services. These contracts are supposed to be awarded based on quality of work and efficiency of cost, not the size or frequency of a contractor's campaign contributions. Sadly, this practice and the lack of transparency weakens the public trust in their state government.
 
While current law requires state contracts and their cost to be posted for public review, there is no way for the public to determine if the campaign contributions of contractors may have played a role in decisions about who is awarded state contracts -- a practice known as "pay to play."

My bill would require applicants for state contracts to submit a disclosure statement listing all campaign contributions made by the applicant or intermediary to any elected official, candidate for state or local office, or political committee. Applicants would be required to disclose campaign contributions made up to a year prior to the submission of their contract proposal or bid. Furthermore, contract recipients would be required to update their disclosure statements by including any contributions made during the term of the contract and for one year following the completion of the contract. Disclosure statements would be posted on the Department of State's website and made available to the public for inspection and copying upon request.

Please help me stop this practice of pay to play by joining me as a cosponsor.



Introduced as HB709