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Josephs intros bill to prevent gubernatorial candidates from using Attorney General's Office as stepping stone

HARRISBURG, Nov. 17 – State Government Committee Chairwoman Babette Josephs, D-Phila., has introduced a bill that would keep state attorneys general from being eligible for governor until four years after leaving office.

"By virtue of the office, the attorney general has unfettered constitutional authority to investigate and prosecute a variety of alleged crimes," Josephs said. "Should he or she decide to seek the higher executive branch office of governor, it is all too easy and tempting to use such authority to advance his or her partisan political pursuit. This should not be so."

In Virginia, Josephs noted, it's tradition for attorneys general to vacate their position in order to run for governor. Republican Governor-elect Robert McDonnell resigned in February as the state's attorney general in order to pursue the governor's office that he ultimately won earlier this month.

"Here in Pennsylvania, the same requirement I am proposing already applies to the state treasurer who may be interested in becoming the state auditor general. It is not unreasonable to think that an auditor general could be placed in the inappropriate position of having to audit the state Treasurer's Office from when he or she served as treasurer. The four-year span avoids that potential conflict," she said.

The bill (H.B. 2083) has been referred to the House State Government Committee, which is expected to hold a public hearing on the bill at 10 a.m. Monday, Dec. 14 in G-50 Irvis Office Building within the Capitol Complex.

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