HARRISBURG — The Office of Attorney General issued a written response today to the Pennsylvania State Police and the Office of General Counsel regarding settlement for payment of outstanding bills tied to the security enhancement work at the private residence of the Governor. This settlement agreement was submitted to the Office of Attorney General for a form and legality review which all contracts must receive under the Commonwealth Attorneys Act.
The Office of Attorney General is releasing the memo because it regards a highly publicized use of public funds, and we have received media inquiries about our role in the matter.
Attorney General Dave Sunday and the Office of Attorney General condemn all acts of political violence and believe that it is critical that Pennsylvania’s laws be updated to ensure the safety of all public officials serving today and in the future.
Our decision on this settlement agreement is not an assessment of the need for the security upgrades or the wisdom behind them, and it did not impede the upgrades being made — the work was performed some time ago. Rather, a settlement agreement focuses on the settlement of a past due contract between a contractor, who performed the work for the agency in good faith, and the Commonwealth.
While noting that “a legislative appropriation would have been the quickest and cleanest solution,” and the need for changes to the law to more appropriately address similar issues for elected officials serving today and in the future, the Office of Attorney General approved the settlement agreement in order to pay the contractor and shield the Commonwealth from further litigation which would have likely increased the cost that would be borne by the taxpayers for this contract.
This decision does not set a precedent for future settlement agreements of this nature. The Office of Attorney General stressed the need for collaboration to update the Commonwealth’s laws to meet today’s threats against public officials and looks forward to being a partner in that conversation.
Our office will have no additional commentary outside of the contents of the letter, which is HERE.
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