Note: Viewers may want to copy this letter, and pose these same questions to your Legislator.
The following hypertext links are letters received from Ranking Member of the State House and Senate responding to the Vioce PAC letter sent 29th of July, 1996.
Senator's:
Representative's:
- Barley
- DeWeese
- Itkin
- Perzel
- Ryan
Voice PAC letter of July 29, 1996
Dear Senator/Representative________________:
On December 5th 1995, I had sent a letter to your Harrisburg office regarding Senate Bill #1074, "An act establishing salaries for members of the Executive, Legislative, & Judicial branches.....".
Your standing as a ranking member in the State Senate/House, and member of the Committee of Conference that sponsored Senate Bill 1074, compels me to seek a response regarding this legislation. I am sending this second correspondence and have included the following questions in order to gain a broader perspective on the issue:
1. Have you read the entire State Constitution?
2. Do you understand Article II, Section 8 and Article III, Section 27?
3. Have you read Senate Bill 1074 in its entirety?
4. Why does the pay raise bill include an unvouchered expense allowance in the same legislation?
5. Why did this bill increase the unvouchered expense account only until the pay raise goes into effect into the next term?
6. How did the Legislature determine the amount of increase in the unvouchered expense account?
7. Do you realize that the increase in the unvouchered expenses is equivilent to the pay raise amount?
8. Why did a memo from Comptroller Ann Santinoceto instruct members of the House that she is withholding Federal, State, and Local taxes on the unvouchered expense account?
9. Some members of the General Assembly are making claims that they are donating the money to charity. Since when has charitable donations become an eligible unvouchered expense?
10. Article II, Section 8 says that you can increase salary or mileage in the same term. If mileage is an expense, then how can you increase your unvouchered expense account in the same term?
11. What was the purpose of the "Non Severability" clause in this bill?
12. Doesn't the "Non Severability" clause create a conflict of interest if there is a Constitutional challenge on this legislation? Specifically, won't it create a conflict of interest if the bill is non-severable and the Judges would then be ruling on this bill which includes a salary increase for themselves as well?
13. Did you know that only State Senators of even numbered senatorial districts will continue to receive the increased unvouchered expense level while the rest of the General Assembly's unvouchered expenses will be reduced to the previous funding level on January 1, 1997?
14. Why does the even Numbered Senatorial districts will receive a COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENT (COLA'S) on the unvouchered expense account for the next two years?
15. In subsequent years when the salaries are reviewed, the COLA's will be based on the Consumer Price Index. Why is there only a provision for increasing the salaries on the CPI, yet if we go into recession, there is no provision that would reduce their salaries accordingly?
16. Isn't the additional funding level of the unvouchered expense allowance being used as an interim salary increase?
17. What are you doing with the Unvouchered Money? *See FootNote*
18. Please comment on your colleagues statements:
Representative Michlovic, "The Senate must always must use such a method, as they have four year terms asnd would be forced to pay lower salaries to half their members under a strict interpretation of the law."
Representative Geist, "To avoid a situation of pay inequity amongst the members of the different legislative bodies, the unvouchered expense allowances were used."
Respectfully Submitted,
Gary J. English
**Foot Note** If the Legislator uses it as salary it violates the State Constitution Article II, Section 8. If the Legislator uses it as a "Donation to Charity" you should be asking, when has a charitable donation been considered an expense. Dispursements from this expense account to charity violate IRS code, and State House and Senate rules.
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