Keystone Today

The Pennsylvania Senate will make spending records public for the first time, allowing residents access to the way elected members spend taxpayer money.

Previously, a Right-to-Know request was required in order to access these records.

"Opening our Senate expenses to the people we serve is the right thing to do, and it was one of the first promises I made when I was elected President Pro Tempore of the Senate in January,” Pennsylvania Sen. Jake Corman (R-Bellefonte), who made the decision to publicize records, told Keystone Today. 

Sen. Jake Corman | stock photo

The information will now be updated monthly online.

“I am a firm believer that transparency breeds accountability. Lawmakers are more likely to carefully consider individual expenses if they know the public is watching,” Corman said.

In addition to the Senate’s announcement, Corman said he is pushing for transparency and accountability for lobbyists and campaign consultants as well.

“Lobbyist reform is one of my top priorities for the fall and a shared priority with Speaker Cutler, so I am optimistic we will see progress on that front as well,” Corman added.

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, while there is still room for improvement in terms of thorough documentation and simplifying the process of searching and reading the files, this is still a win for the taxpayers of Pennsylvania.

Russell Eshleman, head of the department of journalism at Penn State University, said that Corman's decision could have a significant impact on both taxpayers and politicians, according to the Post-Gazette report.

The Pennsylvania Senate Republicans say the posted expenses will include the following: per diems, car leases, office rent, utilities, office expenses, postage, mileage, lodging, meal reimbursements and other expenses incurred by Senate offices.