The following are the remarks delivered by Senator Bob Regola (R-39) at a March 18 press conference in the State Capitol urging the House State Government Committee to move Senate Bill 468 – legislation introduced by Senator Regola providing for a constitutional amendment banning lame duck legislative session.

When I ran for the Senate in 2004, I ran on a platform of reform -- and on my 1st day in office -- I introduced a Constitutional Amendment to eliminate "lame duck" voting sessions.

I knew when I was elected -- and I still believe today that banning lame duck sessions --of legislators whose terms are about to expire and won't return to office -- is an essential reform.

It all comes down to accountability. The public should be able to hold legislators accountable for the votes they cast BEFORE the election, not AFTER.

Lame duck sessions have historically been used to skirt accountability. In the past, lame duck sessions have been used to vote on volatile issues such as tax increases, more borrowing or pay raises. If these votes were cast before an election, I doubt the results would be the same.

As everyone gathered here knows, we opened the 2007-08 Session with a cloud over state government. The public made it quite clear that they were tired of the "business as usual" attitude in Harrisburg.

We heard the resounding cry for transparency in state government -- and we took it to heart. The Senate came out last January with a renewed commitment to reform and to end questionable practices of the past.

We took several strong steps to bring about those reforms. In the very first days of this Session, the Senate adopted new rules designed to shine a greater light on the actions we take, the debates we hold, and the votes we cast. We have seen similar reforms in the House.

Open records reform stands as a testament to our ability to get results when we work together.

Now, as we near the end of the 2-year session, it is time to take the next logical step in the reform process by forever banning "lame duck" sessions.

While I was unable to move my original legislation out of Committee during the 2005-06 Session, I reintroduced the Constitutional Amendment this session as Senate Bill 468.

Last June, the Senate overwhelmingly passed this Constitutional Amendment (41-8).

On July 3rd, Senate Bill 468 was referred to the House State Government Committee but has not seen any action since.

I truly believe this inaction is a disservice to the people of Pennsylvania.

And so I call on the Chair of the House State Government Committee to bring Senate Bill 468 up for a Committee vote and allow the Legislature to continue marching forward in the name of government reform. Thank you."

Additional Information:
Percentage of Legislation Passed in Lame Duck Sessions (PDF)
Methods by Which Legislative Session Lengths Are Limited (PDF)
Newspaper Quotes (PDF)

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Senator Bob Regola represents Pennsylvania's 39th Senatorial District, www.senatorregola.com.