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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2019 - 2020
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | February 27, 2020 11:50 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Patrick J. Stefano and Sen. Scott Martin |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Removal of Negligent Municipal Elected Officials |
| In the near future, Senator Martin and I plan to introduce a joint resolution to provide for the removal of local elected officials. The taxpayers of Pennsylvania have a high level of trust that they place in their elected officials and should expect their elected officials to carry out the duties of their office with integrity and commitment. Currently, if an elected municipal official neglects the duties of their office, the only available options to the public are to wait until the next election and vote them out, or pursue action by the State Senate and Governor to remove the official. The latter is rarely used, and can be extremely difficult for one municipality to gain the favor of the State Senate and Governor to go through this process. Therefore, Senator Martin and I, after having faced such situations in our districts, have collaborated to provide municipalities the ability to address these situations without involving Harrisburg. Certainly, we believe in the sanctity of an election as representing the will of the people. However, some situations may arise in which the ability to wait for the next election is not always prudent. If approved by the voters of the Commonwealth, this constitutional amendment would authorize the General Assembly to enact legislation providing a process for the removal of an elected municipal official for being derelict in their duties. Our constituents deserve to have a means through which to remove negligent elected officials outside of the Governor or the Senate having to act. We sincerely hope that you will consider joining us in co-sponsoring this legislation. |
Introduced as SB1068