Sam Janesch | The Caucus

Spotlight PA sorted through thousands of heavily redacted documents to reveal how the legislature spends your tax dollars on private lawyers.

A review of thousands of pages of documents shows the cases ranged from public records fights to secret personnel problems to attempts to overturn last year’s presidential election.

Mileage, meals, lodging, travel, and a special perk called per diems are part of the hidden costs charged to taxpayers to support Pennsylvania’s legislature.

The bipartisan measure comes in response to an ongoing investigation by Spotlight PA and The Caucus into how taxpayers shell out millions each year for perks but are largely unaware of that spending.

Just 29 of the 253 full-time lawmakers in Pennsylvania post some information online about how they spend taxpayer dollars in their duties, despite many proclaiming, “It’s Your Money.”

A web of expense accounts, few reporting requirements, and questionable claims of “legislative privilege” help keep lawmaker spending obscured — and the public in the dark.

A campaign event for Jake Corman, the top Republican in the state Senate, is being organized by a company that has cornered the market on a political practice he wants to end.