Eugene DePasquale

2006–2010 elections

When incumbent State Representative Steve Stetler resigned from his seat and withdrew from the ballot during the 2006, DePasquale announced his intent to replace him. The York County Democratic Party selected him as their replacement nominee in August, and, despite having less than three months to campaign, he defeated Republican nominee Karen Emenheiser 58.3% to 41.7%.^[7] His legislative district included all of the city of York, Spring Garden Township, part of West Manchester Township, and the boroughs of North York and West York.

DePasquale was re-elected in 2008, defeating Republican candidate Lon Emenheiser 75.1% to 24.9%.^[8]

In 2010, DePasquale was unopposed both in his primary and general re-election. On November 2, he received 97 percent of the vote.^[9]

Government and election reforms

Soon after taking office, DePasquale became the first Pennsylvania state legislator to post his expenses on his website.^[10] Every quarter, DePasquale provides a report that shows how he spends any taxpayer dollars, for things such as office supplies and his district office lease.^[11] He also co-sponsored the state’s new open records law.^[12]

In December 2008, DePasquale returned a total of $22,185.44 in unused office expenses.^[13]

In November 2010, DePasquale announced plans to author legislation that would eliminate the automatic pay raises that lawmakers receive, in the form of cost-of-living allowance increases.^[14] DePasquale became one of the first lawmakers to announce he was giving back the annual cost of living adjustment all lawmakers receive.^[14]

In 2009, DePasquale introduced two bills related to voting in the state of Pennsylvania. The first, H.B. 238 would allow Pennsylvania voters to cast their ballots up to 15 days prior to a primary or general election,^[15] while the second, H.B. 1672, that would allow all registered voters in Pennsylvania – even those not affiliated with a particular political party – to cast a vote in primary elections. DePasquale’s legislation would also allow unaffiliated voters to choose a primary in which to vote, while voters registered with a party would continue to only vote in their party’s primaries.^[16]

DePasquale also authored House Bill 256. This legislation would call for a special election to fill a vacancy in the United States Senate and take away the Governor’s ability to fill the vacancy.^[17]

Clean energy

On July 7, 2008, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell joined DePasquale to officially sign DePasquale’s alternative energy bill, the Alternative Energy Investment Act (Special Session H.B 1), as part of the Energy Independence Strategy. The bill (S.S.H.B. 1) allocates bond funding to support research, development and deployment of various alternative energy projects and technologies. The funding incentivizes alternative-energy production, including the creation of a rebate program for energy-efficient appliances and the establishment of a rebate and grant program for solar energy technology. The legislation also would allow the state to invest money and attract alternative energy-producing companies to the area.^[18]

In November 2009, Governor Ed Rendell's office announced that the Alternative Energy Investment Fund helped create 37 new alternative and clean energy projects across Pennsylvania, creating over 1,200 jobs.^[19] DePasquale was subsequently appointed to serve on the Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority Board, which helps fund technology companies and university research, including helping create new alternative energy companies in PA.^[20]

Public and consumer safety

DePasquale is a lead proponent to ban text messaging while driving.^[21]

In June 2010 the House unanimously passed DePasquale’s bill, H.B. 1431, that would make it a crime in Pennsylvania to knowingly sell recalled children's products and would give the State Attorney General and local district attorneys the authority to prosecute such offenses.^[22]

2012 campaign

In April 2011, DePasquale announced that he would be running for State Auditor General in 2012 to succeed incumbent Jack Wagner, who was term-limited.^[23] DePasquale made Marcellus Shale drilling a central issue of his campaign, and promised to order an immediate performance audit of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to ensure the state's water supply has not been compromised by drilling.^[24] He defeated Republican State Representative John Maher in the fall general election.^[1] Both Maher and DePasquale were concurrently re-elected unopposed to their seats in the State House.^[25]

Tenure

DePasquale resigned his seat in the State House on January 15, 2013, and was sworn-in as Auditor General later that day. He became the first person from York County to assume statewide elected office since George Leader was elected Governor in 1954.^[26]

The day after being sworn-in, DePasquale launched an audit of the Department of Environmental Protection's (DEP) water programs related to the development of the state’s shale gas reserves. ^[27] Results of that audit showed DEP was unprepared to effectively administer laws and regulations to protect drinking water and unable to efficiently respond to citizen complaints. ^[28]

High-Profile Audits and Reports

Fixing Pennsylvania's Broken Child-Welfare System

After a year-long review of Pennsylvania’s children and youth services (CYS) system, DePasquale concluded that the system is broken and Pennsylvania’s at-risk children are not safe. In September 2017, DePasquale released his special report on the "State of the Child,"^[29] which chronicled reason why there is a wholesale system breakdowns that actually prevent CYS caseworkers from protecting our children from abuse and neglect. The 80-page special report assesses the strengths and challenges of Pennsylvania’s child-welfare system. Specifically, it focuses on county CYS caseworkers, who are on the front lines of working with children and their families.

Resolving Backlog of Untested Rape Kits

In September 2016, DePasquale announced that an eight-month review of the state’s backlogged rape kits^[30] has shown inadequate communication to local law enforcement agencies, errors in the Department of Health’s (DOH) report of kits and resource shortages that could lead to delayed justice for rape victims. The 67-page special report features three observations and 10 recommendations, including one calling for stakeholders to convene immediately to address resource shortages and insufficient communication that is preventing the Sexual Assault Testing and Evidence Collection Act (Act 27 of 2015) from being fully carried out.

Advocating for Legalized Marijuana in Pennsylvania

DePasquale was the first statewide elected official in Pennsylvania to advocate for regulating and taxing marijuana. In March 2017, he held a news conference during which he declared his support for legalization, citing the financial benefits of a "booming industry expected to be worth $20 billion and employ more than 280,000 in the next decade."^[31] Given Pennsylvania's well-documented budgetary woes, DePasquale estimated that legalizing marijuana would help generate hundreds of millions of much-needed dollars each year for the commonwealth.