'The public should know because it's their money, not mine'

Reform in Harrisburg is occurring at a glacial pace.

Check out this report in today's Harrisburg Patriot-News about secret expense accounts maintained by members of the Pennsylvania Legislature.

The newspaper attempted to find out how much lawmakers are billing the taxpayers for expenses on top of their annual salaries and other perks, but was denied access to the information.

A few lawmakers have taken the initiative on their own and made their expense accounts public, with some listing spending of $10,000 to $20,000 over a four-month period.

"Whatever I spend, the public should know because it's their money, not mine," Rep. Sue Helm told the newspaper about her expense account.

Most lawmakers are not willing to tell you, the taxpayer, how much they're billing you for unspecified "expenses."

From reporter Jan Murphy's story:

The House and Senate chief clerks' offices, which operate at legislative leaders' direction, denied requests for copies of the reports called "summary report of voucher activity" in the House, and "management reports" in the Senate. Officials from those offices said the documents are for internal use.

Read the full story, "Legislative leaders keep expense records secret," at the Patriot-News Web site.

And don't forget that you can vote out incumbents on the April 22 primary ballot.