State Rep.

Dick Stevenson, R-8th, this week voted for six bills in the House of Representatives he said would tighten accountability and ensure greater transparency.He claimed the legislation represents some of the most stringent government reforms in more than a quarter of a century.“I am pleased that the first series of bills up for a floor vote in the House are those that will help clean up the image of state government and make certain that strict controls are in place to prevent corruption,” he said.“These bills will end pay-to-play government contracting, encourage workers who witness corruption to speak up without fear of retribution and ensure that lobbyists don’t skirt existing laws.”Specifically, the measures would:n Increase the penalties for lobbyists who violate the state’s lobbyist disclosure laws.n Prohibit an individual who has been employed by a company bidding on a project from being part of the review process.n Apply the state’s Right-to-Know law to public procurement contracts and allows advanced public inspection of noncompetitively awarded contracts before execution of the agreement.n Stipulate that members of the General Assembly cannot create or maintain nonprofit organizations that receive public funds.n Extend whistle-blower protection to employees of nonprofits and private sector companies with state contracts who report waste of public money obtained by their employer for services or work.The bills were voted on Monday on second consideration and will be up for final adoption next week before going to the state Senate.———A federal judge in Florida ruled Monday that the federal government does not have the constitutional authority to force Americans to purchase health care, striking another blow against

President Barack Obama’s health care law and its controversial individual mandate.In response, U.S. Rep.

Mike Kelly, R-3rd, issued the following statement:“(Monday’s) ruling underscores the concern that I and many Americans across the country have regarding the size and overreach of our government. To date, 27 states have challenged ObamaCare’s constitutionality in court, and two federal judges have ruled it unconstitutional.“ObamaCare is wrong for America on many levels. Today’s ruling further demonstrates the need to repeal ObamaCare and replace it with common sense solutions that will lower the cost of health care and increase accessibility, but that will do so without violating the separations of power and the individual rights guaranteed and protected in our Constitution.”———The Butler County Democratic Committee will host a meeting at 7 p.m. Feb. 14 at Butler Army National Guard, 250 Kriess Road in Connoquenessing Township for potential candidates in the May 17 primary.Nominating petitions will be available to candidates running for local and county offices. There also will be a discussion on how, when and where to circulate and file the petitions.For more information, call

Larry Kriess, Democratic committee chairman, at 724-991-2107.———Legislation recently sponsored by state Sen.

Jane Orie. R-40th, and Sen.

John Rafferty, R-Montgomery, would adopt national standards to strengthen sex offender registration.The bill seeks to have Pennsylvania implement the national Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act, also known as the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.“The Adam Walsh Act is crucial to protecting our children from predators because it seeks to create a national standard for sex offender registries — registries that are available on the Internet, and have uniform enforcement,” Orie said. “We need to have a strong and coordinated system in place to protect our children from predators.”The act, Rafferty noted, also provides stricter registration requirements for convicted sex offenders as well as keeping their information more current.This proposal was unanimously adopted by the Senate last October but was not considered by the state House of Representatives before the end of session.———A state Senate panel last week approved a measure, introduced by Sen.

Don White, R-41st, that would place a proposed new insurance system created by the federal health care law under Pennsylvania’s current restrictions barring the use of public funding for elective abortions.The bill seeks to prohibit health insurers from participating in the taxpayer-subsidized state health insurance exchanges — an insurance system created under the new federal health care law and currently slated to be operational by 2014 — from providing coverage for elective abortions.“This is not a new step for Pennsylvania,” said White, chairman of the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee, which approved the bill, “but rather an extension of the restrictions already in place for medical assistance and other taxpayer subsidized programs.”The restriction on taxpayer-funded coverage of elective abortions proposed under White’s measure, he said, is consistent with the Pennsylvania Medical Assistance Program and the Abortion Control Act.———

Adam Pankake has been named executive director of the state Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, chaired by Sen.

Mary Jo White, R-21st.A graduate of Bloomsburg University, Pankake previously held the same post with the Senate Urban Affairs and Housing Committee, chaired by Sen.

Gene Yaw, R-Lycoming County. He joined the Senate in 2007 and worked for Yaw’s predecessor, Sen.

Roger Madigan for one year.Pankake replaces Patrick Henderson, who departed this month to become energy executive in Gov.

Tom Corbett’s office.