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File #: 12481-22    Version: 1 Name:
Type: Ordinance Status: Expired by Rule
File created: 10/21/2022 In control: Committee on Government Reform
On agenda: 10/25/2022 Final action: 12/31/2023
Title: An Ordinance of the County of Allegheny, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, amending and supplementing the Administrative Code of Allegheny County, Article 1013, entitled “Political Activity; Accountability, Conduct and Ethics Code,” §5-1013.09, entitled “Standards of Conduct,” through the creation of a new Subsection R, in order to establish specific prohibitions on exerting improper influence in official matters within Allegheny County.
Sponsors: Bethany Hallam
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An Ordinance of the County of Allegheny, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, amending and supplementing the Administrative Code of Allegheny County, Article 1013, entitled “Political Activity; Accountability, Conduct and Ethics Code,” §5-1013.09, entitled “Standards of Conduct,” through the creation of a new Subsection R, in order to establish specific prohibitions on exerting improper influence in official matters within Allegheny County.

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WHEREAS, existing Commonwealth of Pennsylvania law, specifically 18 Pa.C.S.A. §§4701(a)(1) and (2), classifies as a third degree felony any attempt to influence judicial, administrative, or legislative proceedings by offering, conferring, agreeing to confer, soliciting, accepting or agreeing to accept (1) any pecuniary benefit as consideration for a decision, opinion, recommendation, vote or other exercise of discretion as a public servant, party official or voter, or (2) any benefit as consideration for a decision, vote, recommendation or other exercise of official discretion in a judicial, administrative or legislative proceeding; and

WHEREAS, in addition to the criminalized actions delineated above, §4701(a)(3) also grades as a third degree felony offering, conferring, agreeing to confer, soliciting, accepting, or agreeing to accept any benefit as consideration for a violation of a known legal duty as public servant or party official; and

WHEREAS, for the purposes of §4701, the term “benefit” is defined as gain or advantage, or anything regarded by the beneficiary as gain or advantage, including benefit to any other person or entity in whose welfare he is interested, but not an advantage promised generally to a group or class of voters as a consequence of public measures which a candidate engages to support or oppose, see, 18 Pa.C.S.A. §4501; and

WHEREAS, as a result of the provisions of §4701, activities such as trading or attempting to trade votes for employment of friends or family, monetary compensation, jo...

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