Aiming to Shine a Light on Taxpayer-Funded Spending
HARRISBURG – In recognition of Sunshine Week, a national initiative dedicated to promoting transparency in government, Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-York) is introducing legislation to pull back the curtain on taxpayer-funded spending.
“As newspapers across the nation rightfully celebrate and call for greater government openness and transparency, I am hopeful they heed their own advice that government spending works best in the sunlight,” Phillips-Hill said.
State, county and local governments as well as school districts are required to post public and legal advertising in newspapers, which comes at a rising cost to taxpayers. Based on a 2006 survey conducted by the state’s bicameral, bipartisan Local Government Commission, these costs exceeded $18 million. Adjusting for inflation, today’s cost to taxpayers surpasses $28 million in annual mandatory advertising.
Blair County’s spending on legal advertising jumped from $176,853 in 2021 to $215,431 in 2022, while the City of Lancaster spent nearly $73,000 in required advertising costs. Municipalities across Pennsylvania are feeling the strain, and taxpayers deserve to know how their money is being spent.
The senator’s legislation is simple: newspapers would disclose in the corner of the advertisement the cost incurred by the local governmental entity to publish the mandated advertising.
Phillips-Hill points out that the way people consume news has changed dramatically, yet our laws haven’t kept up. “What we are seeing is newspaper circulation declining and advertising costs for local governments rising, so it is more important than ever to bring transparency to this mandated taxpayer spending,” she said.
Her comments are backed up by a recent Pew Research Study that highlighted newspaper circulation declining by more than half in less than two decades.
“Sunshine Week is about making sure government works for the people – not behind closed doors. This bill is about shining a light on government spending starting with the very entities that champion government transparency and accountability – the newspapers,” Phillips-Hill added.