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HARRISBURG – State Sen. Lisa Baker has been named to a bipartisan committee that could recommend removing embattled Attorney General Kathleen Kane under a constitutional provision never used in the modern era.
“The state Attorney General’s law license has been indefinitely suspended by the Disciplinary Board of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. This key question must be confronted: Does the loss of her law license preclude her from effectively functioning as the state’s chief law enforcement officer?” Baker, R-Lehman Township, said in a news release from the Senate Republican Communications Office.
The Senate unanimously approved the formation of the committee Monday, and six senators were named to it.
In addition to Baker, they are Republicans John Gordner and Gene Yaw and Democrats Art Haywood, Judy Schwank and Sean Wiley. Minority Leader Jay Costa says the committee’s work should be as public as possible.
Senate officials say the group will have 30 days to report on Kane’s ability to continue as attorney general with a suspended law license.
The committee’s report could recommend the use of an obscure constitutional provision that allows the governor and two-thirds of the Senate to remove certain public officials.
The news release stated that a little-used constitutional provision presents the possibility of the state Senate, by a two-thirds vote, recommending to the governor that the attorney general be removed from office.
We need to determine if this power properly applies to the current situation, and if so, how due process is ensured should a vote for removal be warranted,” Baker said.
“Pennsylvanians have an overriding interest in a review that is fair, thorough, responsible, and bipartisan, the news release states. My participation on this special committee will be faithful to that public interest and expectation,” she said.
The Senate created the committee pursuant to Article 6, Section 7 of the Pennsylvania Constitution, according to the news release.
