Why We’re Demanding a Gift Ban as Pennsylvania Legislators Return to Harrisburg
Pennsylvania state lawmakers returned to Harrisburg last week, and our activists from across the Commonwealth met them at the Capitol doors with a simple but powerful question: Why do you choose profit over people?
MarchOnHarrisburg, a grassroots movement that’s fighting for real accountability in Pennsylvania, was out in freezing temperatures demanding that legislators pass the Gift Ban and make bribery illegal in Pennsylvania politics.
Right now, Pennsylvania is one of only three states in the country with no limits on the gifts that lobbyists and billionaires can give to lawmakers.
Pennsylvania’s governor Josh Shapiro has violated his own Gift Ban several times during his term, attending sports games with tickets paid for by lobbyists.
These gifts aren’t just the occasional dinner or nice gesture; they include everything from all-expenses-paid European vacations to box seats at Penn State games, along with lavish wining and dining. It seems clear that these gifts are legalized bribery, and they only benefit the state lawmakers and special interest groups footing the bill, they don’t help the people these lawmakers were elected to serve.
The Gift Ban would put an end to this practice, making it illegal for lawmakers to accept gifts that could influence their decisions.
We've been fighting for this for eight years, and we're closer than ever. The Gift Ban has passed the House State Government Committee twice — once in 2019 and again in 2021 — but it still hasn’t been fully passed. This has to be the year.
We’re tired of hearing the excuse that there’s “never enough time” to pass the Gift Ban, especially when we know legislators are finding plenty of time to do the bidding of big-money interests. Take, for example, the last week of the 2024 session, when Pennsylvania legislators managed to pass 12 bills and hold 49 campaign fundraisers.
So, we’re starting 2025 with a loud and clear message: Pass the Gift Ban or Get Out!
This year, we expect the legislature to prioritize passing the Gift Ban and stop doing the bidding of billionaires and corporations.
We will continue pushing, relentlessly until this corruption is outlawed for good.
And we’re keeping track.
After rallying on the front steps, we distributed the Gift Ban pledge to every legislative office and gave lawmakers a deadline to sign the pledge: Wednesday, February 5th. MarchOnHarrisburg will be keeping track of who has, and who has not, signed this pledge. After February 5th people can find this information on a map at GiftBan.Org
““We need more than empty promises; we need our lawmakers to prove their commitment. We fully expect this legislature to prioritize passing the Gift Ban this year and stop doing the bidding of billionaires and corporations; we will keep pushing this legislature until they outlaw their corruption””
Wondering what YOU can do for the Gift Ban? Look no further:
Attend our upcoming virtual Gift Ban Advocacy Training!
We'll go over everything from how to write Letters to the editor for the Gift Ban, how to lobby your representative, how to flyer and billboard in your community & more!
Set up a meeting with your Representative and Senator and ask them to sign the Gift Ban Pledge
Click here to find out who your lawmakers are! Never lobbied before? We have a legislative team that is happy to help you set up and join a lobbying meeting – just email us at info@mohpa.org!
Billboard Locally
We do consistent community-powered billboarding and flyering across the state. Keep an eye out for upcoming billboarding events near you or reply to this email to set up a billboarding day in your area!
Send a quick letter to your Representative and Senator
Take two minutes to send a letter to your representatives and tell them to pledge their support for the Gift Ban!
Donate, and become a monthly donor! We rely on small-dollar donations to sustain our work.