Pa. Republican House leader to sponsor reform bills Faced with a steady drumbeat of scandal-related news out of the state Capitol, House Republican leader Sam Smith today issued a 15-point proposal to restore the public's faith in state government.
"The vast majority of General Assembly members have the right intentions in mind,'' he told reporters today. But he said something must be done in the wake of former Sen. Vincent Fumo's conviction on 137 corruption charges; dozens of theft charges being filed against former House Democratic Whip Mike Veon; and the firing of former Turnpike Commission Chairman Mitchell Rubin, who was accused of getting $150,000 from Mr. Fumo for a no-work job.

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Bonusgate records contradict DeWeese  Since the Bonusgate corruption probe was launched two years ago, Rep. Bill DeWeese has adamantly and repeatedly denied knowing that taxpayer money secretly had been used to underwrite political campaigns.
But records turned over to defendants in the case by Attorney General Tom Corbett appear to paint a different picture of the onetime House Democratic leader, who has not been charged in the ongoing investigation.

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Newest lawmakers find the pace slow in Harrisburg The congratulatory backslapping and adrenaline rush of their successful campaigns for the Pennsylvania General Assembly having faded into memory, dozens of freshmen lawmakers are learning that the budget crunch has left little room to accommodate their ambitions to reshape state government. Twenty-seven new House members joined the Legislature this year, along with eight rookie senators. An even larger freshman class was inaugurated in 2007, meaning more than a third of the Legislature's 253 seats have turned over in just over two years.

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John Baer: Harrisburg poses a big test for Nutter MAYOR MICHAEL "New Day, New Way" Nutter is about to face his first real test in dealing with the Legislature, a group he desperately needs in his corner for the first time since taking office. It'll be a difficult test.
For if Philadelphia is to avoid what Nutter calls "pretty much" Armageddon, the mayor must convince often Philly-phobic lawmakers to approve hiking the city's sales tax and changing its pension payouts.

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Ex-Pittsburgher in middle of earmark scandal Now, with prosecutors investigating Mr. Magliocchetti's political giving, as well as about his connections to various members of Congress, the controversy over earmarks has gathered renewed momentum with Mr. Magliocchetti, a Pittsburgh native, as its focus. "It seems to me in our system, even Magliocchetti is innocent until he's proven guilty," said Rep. John P. Murtha, D-Johnstown. "I don't know the broadness of his contributions. I have no idea. I don't even follow most of the stories. To me the Justice Department will either investigate and convict him or they'll investigate and drop the investigation."

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State lawmakers give back raises in light of economy Shortly after their 2.8 percent pay increase took effect in December, state lawmakers began calling for a suspension of the raise to show they are sharing the pain in the recession. To date, three bills have been introduced to suspend or repeal the automatic annual raise that state lawmakers began receiving five months ago. The base legislative pay rose to $78,315, a $2,152 increase from last year.
None of the bills has been put to a vote in committee or on the House or Senate floor.

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Tough cops . . . or too tough'thugs'? 2 are named in numerous complaints. Was handcuffing the state rep. the last straw? "I was thinking, 'What are they going to do with me?' because I didn't do anything wrong," said Williams, D-Phila. "I came to the aid of a constituent who I didn't even know, and then I get rousted up."
The Volvo's driver was John Cornish, a Nicetown resident and longtime truck driver for the city's Streets Department. His car matched a description of a vehicle involved in a drug buy a few blocks from where officers stopped Cornish on York Street, between Smedley and Bancroft, near 16th. Schaffling searched Cornish and the Volvo and found no drugs, according to police.