The campaign for Lee Heffner, candidate for Pennsylvania 37th House District, was good enough to respond to my request for an email interview on lobbyist registration. Below are the responses.
Question 1: What should be the goals of any lobbying laws or reform in Pennsylvania?
Lee Heffner: To facilitate elections that are about the market place of ideas and elected officials who are true public servants.
Question 2: What entity or entities should be responsible for administering these laws?
Lee Heffner: I'm open to all policies that would improve the election process in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Question 3: Are there any other states that could or should serve as a model for lobbying regulation?
Lee Heffner: Rhode Island has made significant strides in this area. GovTracker has provided their citizens with information about lobbyists and their Secretary of State, Matt Brown, has instituted some aggressive reforms.
Question 4: What kind of public reporting requirements should be required for lobbying? How much information should a citizen be able to find publicly about the activities of a lobbyist, and how should that information be made available?
Lee Heffner: Lobbyists should report their expenditures and the information should be available on the internet in addition to hard copy.
Question 5: Should lobbyists be required to pay, through registration fees, for all costs involved in providing such registration/regulation/public reporting?
Lee Heffner: I would have to investigate all the possible circumstances but for certainly for career lobbyists.
Question 6: How important is lobbyist regulation/registration to you as an issue? Is this something you would see as a top priority for the General Assembly in your first session?
Lee Heffner: My campaign is about new leadership you can trust in Harrisburg and so I take this issue very seriously. Pennsylvanians share values of honesty and trust. Unfortunately, we've lost trust in our legislators' honesty. Transparency of lobbyist activities is an important component to restoring trust and weeding out the culture of corruption in Harrisburg.