The grand jury listening to the evidence emanating from the Bonusgate trial has issued a report calling for reforms to Pennsylvania’s Legislature. This is certainly an unusual move for a grand jury as their job is to listen to the evidence and recommend that a defendant be held for trial or not. But after eighteen months of listening about abuses and corruption by our Legislators, they had heard enough.

So these thirty three ordinary Pennsylvanians put together a thirty four page report calling for reforms. The reforms include moving the Legislature to part-time, eliminating questionable caucus funds, merging partisan offices and eliminating per diem payments. Surely these are ideas that have been bantered about in nearly every barber shop, diner, café, and gathering place across the Commonwealth. That it came from a grand jury with an up close view of the Harrisburg "sausage factory" has made it news worthy.

But will it signal the beginning of meaningful reforms to state government? Naturally each gubernatorial candidate has seized on this sentiment and is making reform part of their platform-as does everyone who runs for this office. However it is very unlikely those in the Legislature will be willing to go along in any meaningful way. After all Bonusgate is not the first scandal to hit Harrisburg and sadly it will likely not be the last.