Governor Tom Wolf says people in the United States have lost faith in government. Coming off of a nine-month budget delay that left schools, universities and non-profits in a state of uncertainty, his assessment rings particularly true for Pennsylvania.
"We need to do everything we can to promote the trust we need to have from citizens of Pennsylvania," said Wolf. "That's what makes democracy work."
Wolf, speaking to reporters in Bellefonte on Tuesday, says he has a plan to regain that trust. It's called 'Government That Works,' five proposals that the legislature could enact to strengthen the barriers between state leaders and special interest groups.
Wolf proposed a ban on gifts to legislators from any company or person who does business with the commonwealth. On his first day in office, Wolf banned gifts to members of the executive branch. He hopes to see the legislative branch follow suit.
The other Government That Works initiatives include regulating outside employment and board membership by legislators, prohibiting pay-to-play deals and increasing oversight of lobbying groups.
Wolf also hopes to enact campaign finance reform.
"I'd like to work with the legislature to develop some contribution limits that put Pennsylvania in with the majority of states that say, we need to have some limits, so people don't have the sense that we have a system that is up for sale," said Wolf.
Wolf was joined by Centre County Commissioner Mike Higgins and State Rep. Mike Hanna of Lock Haven. Hanna told reporters afterwards that "government reform is a nonpartisan issue."
While that may be true, the Pennsylvania GOP thinks Wolf is as much to blame as legislators are for the messy state of affairs in Pa. Paul Englekeimer, deputy communications director for the Pennsylvania GOP said Wolf could take a lesson from his own proposals.
"As he continues campaigning across the state for higher taxes, Tom Wolf's vetoes put 1,100 Penn State jobs at risk," Englekeimer said in a statement emailed to reporters. "It's time for Tom Wolf to start listening to the taxpayers instead of liberal special interest groups."
After nine months of failed negotiations and broken agreements, the state budget passed last week without the governor's signature.
