The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission's plan to implement fees for the first time at the State Museum might be acceptable under unusual circumstances. However, the decision is unacceptable now, and the plan should be deposited in some deep recess of the museum, outside the realm of the light of day.

Senate Majority Whip Jeff Piccola of Dauphin County, where the museum is located, brought the issue before the public earlier this month when he announced his opposition to the commission's plan, which is scheduled to be effective Sept. 6. On that day, the museum plans to begin charging adult visitors a $3 admission charge and children and senior citizens, a $2 fee.

But while Piccola was correct in calling attention to the issue, he missed the most significant reason why the admissions charge is out of line.

That reason is, if there is money in the state budget to give lawmakers a big pay raise, including allowing them to collect the raise immediately by way of "unvouchered expenses" - and the two houses of the General Assembly and Gov. Ed Rendell conspired in doing just that - there ought to be money in the budget for anyone to visit the museum without charge.

Instead, the museum was dealt an unconscionable decrease in state money in the 2005-06 commonwealth spending package at the same time lawmakers authorized fatter wallets and more-bulging pocketbooks for themselves in a display of utter arrogance and insensitivity toward the state's financial challenges.

"The items on display in the State Museum are considered public property, and the museum has a long history of allowing the public to view these items at no cost," Piccola said. "This will be sure to have an impact on tourism as our teachers and school groups, not to mention Pennsylvania residents, bear the burden of this increase."

Piccola said he understood that the state-funding cut was behind the commission's decision to begin charging admission fees, but he failed to blame the state House and Senate - including himself - for failing to block the Rendell administration from pushing through the museum-funding reduction.

Lawmakers had to accede to that proposal before the budget went to the governor for his signature.

Therefore, even though Piccola didn't vote in favor of the budget, he and his colleagues on both sides of the legislative aisle, whether they voted for the budget or not - must share the blame for why the commission has deemed that admissions fees are necessary.

They all had a hand in crafting the final version of the budget.

With that fact cemented in place, Piccola's concern about the fees' impact on low- and middle-income families rings hollow, even though he was right in expressing concern about the impending admissions.

Pennsylvania has a rich history, and it is a history that all state residents should have an opportunity to view. If Piccola is right, there will be reluctance by many money-strapped families to do that once the fees take effect.

The commission's decision was, understandably, a hard choice, considering the history of free admissions. But it's not too late for the commission to reverse the decision, if it can find the money needed to avoid the fees.

A few lawmakers' decision to direct their raises to the museum's funding needs, rather than toward their "unvouchered expenses," might lessen or eliminate the museum's money challenges.

To the lawmakers' delight, they can individually make such a decision in the middle of the night, without debate and without advance notice - the same approach that they used for their raises.

And, they can "approve" the reallocation without a vote, to further speed the money to the commission.