Editorial: Put brake on revolving Capitol door

Even when legislators lose an election or decide not to seek reelection, or an administration changes because of term limits or a lost election, the Capitol remains full of the same familiar faces. Lawmakers and high-ranking administration officials often don’t leave — they just change sides.

While in office, those lawmakers and executives are supposed to represent the public interest even as they are wooed by the siren calls of any number of special interest lobbyists. When they leave office, they often are rewarded for hearing those calls by being hired by the very same lobbying operations.

The practice is unseemly at best, raising the question of whether the lobbyists-in-waiting truly serve the public while in office or develop the contacts and influence they will need later.

State law precludes former lawmakers and state employees from lobbying the state government for just a year after taking office. That’s a very short period, especially considering the Legislature’s farcically light schedule.

Republican state Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill of York County has introduced a bill, with bipartisan support, to extend the lobbying prohibition to two years.

She declined to identify anyone whom she believes might have used their government time as a lobbyist-in waiting, but she put it this way to Spotlight PA:

“I think we have all seen former members retire and then take lobbying jobs,” she said. “You know, the list goes on and on. And I don’t want to denigrate anyone specifically. But I think you can go back and you can look and you can watch as people walk through these hallowed halls and make mental notes yourself.”

Spotlight PA noted that former state Sen. John Yudichak of Luzerne County and Mike Brunelle, former Gov. Tom Wolf’s one-time chief of staff, along with seven other high-ranking Wolf staffers, now work for the new lobbying firm GSL Public Strategies, which represents clients such as Google, unions and the owner of the controversial Mariner East II Pipeline.

The Legislature should pass the bill to provide at least a little space before former lawmakers and administrators cash in on their public service.

— The Citizens’ Voice (Wilkes-Barre)