THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

SENATE BILL

INTRODUCED BY ORIE, PILEGGI, RAFFERTY, BAKER, COSTA, WAUGH, BROWNE, FONTANA, EARLL, WARD, FARNESE, ALLOWAY AND WOZNIAK, JULY 10, 2009

REFERRED TO TRANSPORTATION, JULY 10, 2009  

AN ACT

Amending Title 74 (Transportation) of the Pennsylvania

Consolidated Statutes, further providing for code of conduct.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1.  Section 8204(a) of Title 74 of the Pennsylvania

Consolidated Statutes is amended by adding paragraphs to read:

§ 8204.  Code of conduct.

(a)  Contents.--The commission shall adopt a comprehensive

code of conduct within 90 days of the effective date of this

section. The code of conduct shall supplement all other

requirements under this chapter and shall provide guidelines

applicable to members and executive-level employees and the

immediate family of the members and executive-level employees to

enable them to avoid any perceived or actual conflict of

interest and to promote public confidence in the integrity and

impartiality of the commission. At a minimum, the code of

conduct adopted under this section shall provide that:

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(9)  No member or executive-level employee may hold or

seek an office in any political party or political committee.

(10)  Prior to entering into a contract with the

commission, a member of the commission shall divest any

management or controlling financial interest the member may

have in the entity with which the commission seeks to enter

into a contract. Failure to comply with this paragraph shall

make the contract null and void.

(11)  No member or executive-level employee may accept

employment with any facility, business or other entity with

which the commission has contracted during the member's

tenure for a period of one year from the termination of term

of office or employment.

(12)  No member or executive-level employee may solicit,

request, suggest or recommend a contractual relationship

between the commission and an immediate family member or

anyone with whom the official or employee has a business or

employment relationship.

(13)  No member or executive-level employee shall act as

a consultant, nor, excluding the Secretary of Transportation,

accept any form of compensation for services rendered, in

connection with a matter before another state agency whose

mission involves transportation or transportation-related

services nor sell goods or services to any State agency.

(14)  No member or executive-level employee shall use or

authorize the use of his or her title, the name "PA Turnpike

Commission" or "Commission" or the commission's logo in a

manner that suggest impropriety, favoritism or bias by the

commission, official or employee.

(15)  No member or executive-level employee shall solicit

or accept honoraria prohibited by the act of October 4, 1978

(P.L.883, No.170), referred to as the Public Official and

Employee Ethics Law.

(16)  No member or executive-level employee shall use or

disclose confidential information protected by law, unless

appropriately authorized.

(17)  No member or executive-level employee shall during

his or her term of public service or employment, and for one

year thereafter, represent any person, in any fashion, before

any public agency, with respect to a matter in which the

official or employee personally participated while serving

with the commission.

(18)  Require that every commission member and executive-

level employee file the financial disclosure statement as

required under 65 Pa.C.S. § 1104 (relating to statement of

financial interests required to be filed).

(19)  Require that all commission members and executive-

level employees participate in ethics education.

(20)  Require that the failure of any commission official

or executive-level employee to abide by this code of conduct,

or to comply with the Public Official and Employee Ethics Law

and related statutes, shall result in discipline, which may

include dismissal, as well as any potential civil or criminal

sanctions under the law.

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Section 2.  This act shall take effect in 60 days.