What do reformers want?

We hear the word "reform" mentioned so often there's a danger it might lose its meaning, especially when it comes to the gargantuan task of cleaning up Harrisburg.

What do reformers want? The Commonwealth Foundation has an excellent press release posted at its Web site that spells out the specific reforms many advocates of good government want to see in Pennsylvania.

Among the reforms the Commonwealth Foundation would like to see addressed in a Special Session of the Legislature are:

Term Limits - Pennsylvania currently limits the number of terms the governor can serve. Similar limits should be placed on members of the General Assembly, such as currently exists in 15 other states.

Session Limits - Pennsylvania is one of only four “full-time” state legislatures with an unlimited number of session days. Limiting the number of session days, coupled with limited terms, will return Pennsylvania to a citizen-led legislature. Texas, for example, has nearly double the population of Pennsylvania yet its legislature meets for only a limited period every other year.

Redistricting - Instead of voters choosing their politicians, the current redistricting process allows politicians to pick their voters. This has contributed to unprecedented levels of uncompetitive elections, which serve to protect incumbents and entrench partisan control of legislative districts. This process should be stripped of its purely political and personal nature.

Initiative, Referendum and Recall - Twenty-four states have the initiative process whereby citizens can enact laws and/or constitutional amendments, as well as reject laws or amendments of the legislature and recall elected officials. This is not a devolution of our representative democracy, as some might argue, but an important check and balance of the people on their elected representatives.

Compensation - The ideals of “public service” should be restored through a reassessment of the compensation and benefits provided to public servants through an independent means. Many models exist in other legislative bodies that could be adapted for our purposes.

Limited Constitutional Convention - Perhaps the most important proposal that can be addressed with a special session is calling a constitutional convention limited to addressing structural changes to our governmental processes.

Check out "A Call For Reform" here.