Burns: Double length of time officials should wait to lobby after leaving office

Rep. Frank Burns    January 3, 2017 | 10:15 AM

HARRISBURG, Jan. 3 – Addressing an unsavory perception, state Rep. Frank Burns, D-Cambria, is seeking co-sponsors for a bill that would double to two years the length of time former officials or employees must wait before lobbying the government entity they left.

Burns said current law mandates a mere one-year wait, which does little to combat the public belief that many government officials cash in on contacts made in their former jobs.

“While the current law is a progressive step, the General Assembly should go further,” Burns said. “To protect the integrity and transparency of the commonwealth’s governmental bodies, my legislation would amend the law to require former officials or employees to wait two years. This cooling-off period would help stall government officials from cashing in on their former jobs.”

Burns said many of his constituents in the 72nd Legislative District are aligned with the belief that government officials are too self-serving, a trend he hopes to reverse by passage of the legislation he plans to introduce soon.

“A proposal like this won’t get universal support, but I am confident it will be embraced by members on both sides of the aisle,” Burns said. “We need to do something to put the ‘public’ back in ‘public service.’”                                                                                                  

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