More change could be coming to Harrisburg, even if voters are unable or unwilling to send incumbents packing, despite so many state lawmakers having become part of, or tolerating, a culture of corruption and entitlement.

Last week, agents with the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service raided the offices of state Rep. William F. Keller, D-Philadelphia, as well as the home of a traffic court judge.

One of the first things to notice about Keller is that he has close ties to a nonprofit agency. And that relationship quickly brings to mind former state Rep. Mike Veon, D-Beaver, and his Beaver Initiative for Growth (BIG). Veon was recently convicted on public corruption charges related to the Bonusgate probe and now is in prison. The trial related to BIG is scheduled for September.

The state lawmaker-nonprofit connection also brings to mind former state Sen. Vincent Fumo, D-Philadelphia, who was charged with more than 100 counts of corruption for misuse of public funds as well as money and assets of a nonprofit to which he was closely connected, called Citizens Alliance for Better Neighborhoods. What could be wrong with a group promoting better neighborhoods?

Keller's nonprofit is called South Philadelphia Area Revitalization Corp. or SPARC. And like better neighborhoods, revitalization is good.

The Philadelphia Daily News commented on the Keller raid with the headline, "Another day, another box of confiscated records."

Given the abuses exposed in the Fumo and Veon cases, every state lawmaker who was instrumental in creating a pet nonprofit group should be under scrutiny. Maybe they are, and that's what brought federal agents to Keller's offices.

The Daily News noted that in 2007, the House passed reforms that some called "sweeping" regarding nonprofits — except that the reforms were rules not laws, and any already established nonprofits were grandfathered, therefore exempted, from the new rules.

The potential for abuse exists when a lawmaker funnels money to a pet nonprofit, then the funds are spent with little oversight or accountability.

News reports say that the FBI and IRS are looking at whether Keller used money from his political action committee for noncampaign purposes. Tracking the flow of money into and out of SPARC, Keller's pet nonprofit, is also part of the investigation.

While a handful of federal agents are busy with the Keller case, other agents are presumably still busy with other cases.

In June, agents with the FBI and IRS raided the home and offices of retiring state Sen. Robert Mellow. To date, no charges have been filed against Mellow, but he was in the news last summer when a Philadelphia newspaper reported that the state was paying rent checks for Mellow's district office to a company co-owned by his then-wife.

Mellow, who is not seeking re-election, also made news when it was reported that his state pension benefits are expected to be about $310,000 a year, three times his current salary. This cries out for a cap on state pensions, something Illinois has already approved.

A few months earlier, federal agents removed material from the home of state Sen. Raphael Musto, D-Pittston. The 81-year-old, who has served in public office for nearly 40 years, brushed off the raid, saying such scrutiny is to be expected after so long in public office.

Still, such a level of activity by FBI and IRS agents looking into the affairs of state lawmakers cannot be a good sign. It suggests that Pennsylvania might soon be moving to a higher position on the ranking of the most corrupt states.

Another view could see the raids as a good sign — that federal investigators, prosecutors and the courts will do the job of cleaning up Harrisburg, something state lawmakers themselves have proven unable or unwilling to do.