WAMs are grants that lawmakers give to pet projects in their districts. They're basically Harrisburg's version of what Washington calls earmarks.
As such, lawmakers and special interests love them, but they have some negative connotations.
It's easy to see why. Any government program with a name like Walking Around Money doesn't sound as if it's on the up-and-up. In fact, the name conjures images of Tony Soprano stuffing a wad of cash into his pocket before heading to the Bada Bing.
Given the attorney general's Bonusgate indictments and former State Sen. Vincent J. Fumo's new federal address in Kentucky, I can understand why some lawmakers would want to rethink the concept of Walking Around Money. So I called Evans' office to find out when WAMs went away.
"There are no WAMs, and there haven't been any since 1995," said Evans' spokeswoman, Johnna Pro.
That's her story, and she's sticking to it. Never mind that just last month, Rendell said the recently passed state budget included WAMs.
"It was insisted upon by the legislature," Rendell said shortly after signing the budget. "It was part of the arrangement."
Translation: WAMs were a deal sweetener to get legislative leaders such as Evans to support Rendell's budget. Given that it's an election year, lawmakers desperately wanted to hand out WAMs in their districts.
But not all of them. State Rep. Curt Schroder (R., Chester) and 26 other House GOP lawmakers have urged Rendell to close a $280 million budget gap by eliminating WAMs. Schroder said the budget included about $100 million in WAMs - "unnecessary funding" that Rendell should eliminate before he cuts essential programs.
But what could be more essential than a jazz festival in Evans' district? As the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Evans helped secure $1 million in state taxpayers' money for this year's West Oak Lane Jazz Festival.
