On July 7, 2005, PA legislators convened at 02:00 A.M to vote on an illegal mid-term compensation increase. The deliberate timing of this illegal pay raise coincided with a large number of pending retirements, drastically increasing pension payouts. In a show of unethical largesse, the legislature extended this generosity to the judicial and executive branches of PA government, ensuring their cooperation. The checks and balances system fell before unmitigated greed.

To combat this breach of the public trust, Eric Epstein formed Rock the Capital: a non-partisan, good-government watchdog group. As its first major project, Rock the Capital tracked legislators who accepted the pay raise, refused to repay the extra monies, and profited from the “pension bounce”. Inspired by our success combating the illegal pay raise, we expanded our efforts. Our successes to date, with your help, include:

• Advocated for eliminating annual cost of living increases, cash donations, and legislative “slush funds”.
• Assisted local communities statewide in exposing corruption and navigating the Right to Know process.
• Cut legislative “slush funds” in half from 2005-2019.
• Repealed the illegal Pay Raise of 2005 and supported pension forfeiture legislation.
• Tracked annual COLAs (Cost of Living Adjustments), per diems, and pension payouts for legislators.

Together, we continue to work with you toward a more open, accountable, ethical government, one truly serving the PA taxpayer.

For more videos from Rock the Capital, visit our Vimeo page.