HARRISBURG, PA — Pennsylvania state Reps. Jared Solomon and Chris Rabb introduced legislation this past week to increase penalties for campaign finance violations and restrict offenders from holding political positions after a watchdog group filed a complaint against activist Scott Presler.
The complaint alleges Presler failed to disclose revenue sources and provide detailed expenditure information connected to his voter-registration work with Early Vote Action, according to Solomon.
Those allegations concern compliance with state campaign finance disclosure requirements. The complaint itself does not establish that Presler violated the law.
The proposed legislation would increase penalties for civil or criminal campaign finance violations and prohibit people found responsible from holding positions of political trust.
Solomon argued that existing penalties are too limited to discourage violations and can be treated as an ordinary cost of political activity.
“We must do so by being transparent and holding people accountable when they violate that trust,” Solomon stated, referring to lawmakers’ responsibility to protect election security and public confidence.
He also raised concerns about political spending that is not “documented, registered or disclosed as campaign finance law requires.”
Rabb maintained that stronger consequences are needed to prevent financial penalties from becoming a routine cost of violating disclosure rules.
“There should be no out, no ‘cost of doing business’ for distorting the right of Pennsylvanians to choose their elected officials,” Rabb stated.
Solomon has also introduced proposals addressing disclosure by political spending groups, restrictions on gifts to elected officials, election ballot positioning and mandatory resignation following criminal convictions.
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