Taxpayers Funding PR Efforts By State Lawmakers

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania taxpayers are paying nearly $10 million annually for lawmakers to get their story out through a small army of spokespeople.  LNP reported Monday on the vast message machine that often produces news releases, TV shows and other content with a partisan message.  The newspaper says it calculated the annual cost by reviewing spending records from 2013 through last year.  The Legislature’s equipment includes at least three TV studios built to produce state-run, news-like programs that feature lawmakers.  The four caucuses – Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate – have a combined public relations staff of about 130 people.