Annual PA lawmaker gift disclosures turn up pens, robes, trips for Corbett

By   /  May 2, 2013  /  Accountability, Ethics, Issues, News, Open Records, Other News, Pennsylvania, State Government  /  No Comments

nice looking pen

By Melissa Daniels | PA Independent
HARRISBURG — Back in March 2012 when Gov. Tom Corbett traveled Europe on a trade mission, he received a suave souvenir – a $275 fountain pen gifted by a public official at an event in Oyonnax, France.
That was while Corbett was touting Pennsylvania as part of trade mission paid for [...]

Read More →

Labor nominee Perez blocks reckoning for Texas school board

By   /  May 1, 2013  /  Ethics, Federal Government, Judiciary, News, Texas  /  7 Comments

BeaumontTexas

Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez is blocking a school board election in a scandal-plagued Southeast Texas district because it might endanger the four black members in the majority.

Read More →

Weak transparency laws leave Iowans in the dark

By   /  April 24, 2013  /  Accountability, Ethics, Featured, Iowa, Issues, News, Open Records, State Government  /  1 Comment

Attorney general in Iowa faces conflict of interest over dueling roles.

By Sheena Dooley | Iowa Watchdog
DES MOINES — When it comes to transparency in government, Iowa agencies face few consequences if they break the state’s open records and meetings laws, some state officials say.
Under state law, the only way for Iowans to remedy potential violations is to take taxpayer-funded agencies to court, which is a slow [...]

Read More →

PA House committee shuts transparency loophole for Penn State, other universities

By   /  April 22, 2013  /  Accountability, Education, Ethics, Featured, Issues, News, Pennsylvania, State Budgets, State Government, Transparency, Transparency  /  No Comments

OPENING UP OLD MAIN: Penn State and the other three state-related universities would have to comply with right-to-know requests under a bill approved by the House State Government Committee on Monday.

By Eric Boehm | PA Independent
HARRISBURG – A much-maligned loophole in Pennsylvania’s Open Records Law may soon be closed.
The House State Government Committee approved a bill Monday afternoon to end the right-to-know exceptions for Pennsylvania’s four so-called “state-related” universities – Penn State, Pittsburgh, Temple and Lincoln.  The bill moves to the full House for a [...]

Read More →

PA Week in review: (Bankruptcy) lawyers, guns and money in Pennsylvania

By   /  April 12, 2013  /  Accountability, Ethics, Featured, Federal Government, Finances, Fraud, Issues, News, News Roundup, Pennsylvania, Pensions, Pensions, Power Abuse, State Budgets, State Government, State House, State Politics, State Senate, Taxes, Transparency, transportation  /  No Comments

Flag_of_Pennsylvania.svg

Debt is drowning governments across Pennsylvania. It’s not a new story, but this week financial problems at the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and in the state’s municipalities were front and center.

Read More →