The Gift Ban (HB 1009) Passes Out of the House Committee!
The Gift Ban is on the move! On October 25th, the Gift Ban (HB 1009) was unanimously voted out of the House State Government Committee, a crucial first step towards the Gift Ban becoming law. For four years, our volunteers relentlessly marched, lobbied, and engaged in nonviolent direct action to make this win possible, and we're incredibly proud of their hard work.
While we’re celebrating this win, we also know that Gift Ban has a long way to go before becoming law. Next, we will continue to hold House Majority Leader Rep. Benninghoff and Speaker of the House Rep. Cutler to their promise of promptly bringing the Gift Ban to a vote on the House floor, after which it will go to the Senate and ultimately the desk of Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman.
After the meeting, we visited the offices of the key leaders responsible for moving the Gift Ban through the legislative process, including House Majority Leader Benninghoff, Speaker Cutler, Senate State Gov. Chairman Argall, and Senate Majority Leader Ward to affirm their support and discuss moving the Gift Ban along in the legislative process. We made a final stop at the office of Sen. Corman, who has refused to meet or talk with us since June 2021. He was unavailable and still has not gone on record regarding whether or not he supports the Gift Ban.
It's up to ALL of US to make sure that legislative leadership keeps the promises and commitments they have made and to pressure existing obstructionists like Senator Corman so that we can move the Gift Ban forward.
It's because of our work that the Gift Ban is even being considered. The legislature has long preferred keeping their bribery quiet and totally legal. It's only because we have shined a light on their corruption, called it out, and demanded change that legislators are now coming out and unanimously supporting it.
Our work is made possible through our recurring small-donor base with $10 being the most frequently donated amount. Can you donate $10 or more to help fix our broken democracy?
You can also take one or more of the actions at giftban.org, join a MarchOnHarrisburg chapter near you, and keep an eye on our events calendar to see what's coming up.
Join us as we continue to stand up, choose action over apathy, and work to end the corruption that has dominated our state legislature for far too long.