HARRISBURG – June 26, 2013 – At a Capitol news conference, Sens. Jay Costa (D-Allegheny), John Yudichak (D-Luzerne), Andy Dinniman (D-Chester) and Rob Teplitz (D-Dauphin) called for a more rapid pace of reform of the governing structure at Penn State and said the General Assembly has a role to play in ensuring that appropriate changes are made quickly.
The lawmakers are calling for hearings to be held over the summer leading to speedy consideration of comprehensive reform legislation in the fall.
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Yudichak, who has been a longtime advocate of board reforms, but a critic of the pace and depth of the modifications made thus far by the Penn State board, said it is important for taxpayers to understand that Penn State is accountable and that the General Assembly can force systemic changes in the university’s governing structure.
Teplitz, who formerly served as chief counsel and policy director to Auditor General Jack Wagner, helped prepare a comprehensive report on the governing structure at Penn State. He noted that few of the recommendations have been implemented.
According to State Sen. Andy Dinniman (D-Chester), Penn State’s Board of Trustees has enacted mild reforms, but needs to do more. Dinniman has introduced SB 410, which would make specific changes to Penn State’s governance structure including reducing the board’s size, implementing term limits for board members and limiting the university president’s role among other things. Another bill that Dinniman authored, SB 408, would expand the Ethics Act to cover board members of state-related universities.
“As an alumnus I am very proud of Penn State and want to ensure that it maintains its world-class status,” Dinniman said.
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