One of the first things Gov. Josh Shapiro has done after taking office is to retool the gift ban for the offices under his control.

During Tom Wolf’s tenure there was a ban, and it was handcuff-tight. Cabinet members on official visits couldn’t accept simple and affordable hospitality that could never be construed as untoward.

A T-shirt from a local school? Nope. A hat from a fire company? No way. Even a bottle of water at a long and boring meeting couldn’t be had without a secretary ponying up a buck or two to cover it for propriety’s sake.

The reasoning for this was admirable. Ethical considerations should be in the forefront of thought for government representatives.

But the execution seemed excessive to a point that was almost rude. Treating a cup of coffee like a $20 bill slipped to a restaurant hostess for a good table is off-putting. It sets up a wall between different agencies and communities who want to welcome leaders, not distance them. And the rules should last longer than an election cycle.

What it points to is something that has been said over and over. Pennsylvania needs a governmental gift ban. It needs to be codified and understood and be something that makes sense.

That means the Legislature needs to actually step up and do it.

The state — particularly the lawmakers — has needed a framework for what was acceptable and what wasn’t and how that should be reported. The Senate and House members have nodded sagely and agreed it was a good idea — and then did nothing about it.

In 2022, it seemed like there might be movement. There wasn’t. What did happen? There were trips for lawmakers to Wyoming from a games-of-chance company and to Europe from the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Those, incidentally, cost significantly more than a T-shirt or a bottle of water. The European holiday was about $15,000.

As the Legislature looks to find its bipartisan feet in this new and divided term, perhaps the best way to start is to agree on what gifts are acceptable and which ones aren’t, and that everyone should be bound by the same rules. It is a solid way for these officials to hold each other accountable and make a long-lived impact on state government.

The executive branch has done its best to paint guidelines, but those don’t become laws without the lawmakers doing their job.

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