Jun 16, 2015 2 min read

It would seem to be plain, straightforward common sense that legislators should not accept extravagant gifts from people who might have more than a passing interest in the laws those legislators approve or disapprove.

Sure, a cup of cappuccino or a promotional pen won’t necessarily sway anybody’s vote. But taking prime tickets to high-demand events? Lavish dinners and five-star hotels? Limousine rides? That’s something that’s surely odoriferous, and, amazingly enough, all things Pennsylvania legislators are not prohibited from accepting.

Not yet, anyway. In the Tuesday edition, we reported on how state Rep. Rick Saccone, the Republican from Elizabeth Township, is part of a bipartisan group of lawmakers seeking a practical ban on elected officials accepting gifts. Small trinkets or snacks, to cite two examples, would be allowed, but not more expensive items. If it is approved, it would follow a total gift ban for state employees instituted by executive order by Gov. Tom Wolf earlier this year.

“People have lost their faith in government,” Saccone said, and putting a ban like this in place would at least be a small step toward that faith being restored.

There’s only one question that we have: What took lawmakers so long to realize this?