York Republicans force movement on bill banning gifts to public officials

The gift ban bill has bipartisan support but has been held up by Democratic leadership in the House.

• Jordan Wilkie/WITF
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  As the democracy reporter for WITF, I will cover any kind of story that has to do with how we govern ourselves. That will include doing a lot of election coverage about how to access the ballot, how public officials administer elections, the technology used to run and secure elections, and the laws that govern it all.
  
  My work will also include accountability coverage for elected officials that use their positions to then undermine democratic institutions, like the legislators that voted against the certification of the presidential election results on January 6, 2021. If that weren’t enough, I foresee covering some local government decisions, fights over public records and transparency, and some candidate coverage around the major elections. As seen in my coverage of immigrant of LGBTQ+ communities, I also report on the consequences of elections for minority groups.

 Jordan Wilkie / WITF News

Marc Anderson (at lectern), Republican state representative from York, speaks in the Pa. Capitol about his support for passing a gift ban on Sept. 28, 2026. Fellow state representatives Jamie Walsh of Luzerne County, Mike Jones of York County and Scott Barger of Blair and Huntingdon counties, all Republicans, joined Anderson is filing a discharge resolution on a gift ban bill to force movement on the legislation.

Under Pennsylvania’s gift laws, lobbyists can buy a lawmaker a nice vacation, or a trip to the Super Bowl, or a few dozen nice dinners around town.

State law also says It is illegal to give a gift or money to a public official to influence rules or legislation.

That would be bribery.

“How do you prove it,” said state Rep. Marc Anderson, a Republican from York County. “My common sense might say, ‘Dude. You took that money and now you’re voting a certain way because you took that money.’ What if he says, ‘No I’m not.’”

It’s better to avoid the situation altogether, Anderson said. That’s why he is supporting a bill that would put strict limits on gifts to public officials.

“The gift ban has to make sure that they can’t get stuff, and then they’re not being influenced by it because they’re getting it,” he said.

Anderson and three other Republicans, including Mike Jones from York, used a legislative maneuver called a discharge petition to force a committee vote on the gift ban bill, HB744.

It’s an unusual political situation because the bill has bi-partisan support. Its primary sponsor is a Democrat, Rep. Jared Solomon from Philadelphia. The bill is co-sponsored by Rep. Carol Hill-Evans from York, another Democrat. She leads the State Government Committee, where the bill sat since March 2025 without any action.

Tuesday, Hill-Evans brought the gift ban bill up for a vote instead of waiting for the discharge resolution to force her hand. Democrats and Republicans on the committee alike spoke in favor, including committee minority chair Brad Roae, Republican from Erie County, and Democratic Rep. Joe Webster from Montgomery County, who introduced a similar bill banning gifts.

Once forced to vote publicly, lawmakers unanimously voted in favor to move the bill out of committee.

Hill-Evans did not comment about why she did not previously bring the bill to a vote. A spokesperson with Democratic House majority leader Matt Bradford did not respond to questions for this story.

Michael Pollack leads March on Harrisburg, an advocacy group trying to get money out of state politics. He worked with Anderson and Jones to get the bill moving. In the past, he’s led protests that disrupted the Capital and resulted in arrests of over a dozen activists.

Pollack said Pennsylvania laws currently allow the rich to influence politics in a way normal people cannot. He can’t point to specific instances of gifts being used as bribes to get favorable policy, which would be illegal but hard to prove. But Pollack said gifts are part of systematic corruption in state politics that gives rich people access and political power.

“They’re using these bribes, these gifts, these corrupting materials to get close to power and then influence that power,” Pollack said. “It works as a giant ecosystem.”

Lawmakers have introduced gift ban legislation for at least 25 years, but leaders of both parties have prevented the law from passing.

Now, Democrats in the state House decide if the bill will come up for a vote, or if lawmakers supporting the bill will have to use other strategic maneuvers to force further action.

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