The state House is considering an important proposal that improves transparency and accountability in four of Pennsylvania’s largest universities.

We hope the measure can advance to Gov. Tom Wolf’s desk and we hope he signs it.

The proposal applies tougher transparency standards to the state’s semi-public universities. Penn State, The University of Pittsburgh and Temple and Lincoln universities would have to release audited statements, details on contracts with a greater value than $10,000 and employment and enrollment information annually.

“This legislation offers a level of transparency necessary to keep these universities accountable to the public they serve,” state Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Fayetteville, the bill’s leading sponsor and also the Republicans’ nominee for governor this year, said, according to a Spotlight PA article.

The four schools receive about $600 million in state funding, and Mastriano is correct to say how they use these tax dollars “shouldn’t be a closely guarded secret.”

The kind-of, sort-of-but-not-really relationship these four schools have long had with our state government is frankly vexing. They benefit from state funding, but unlike truly public universities have never had to abide by the standards of transparency we all should expect of institutions receiving these staggering amounts of money from taxpayers.

Senate Bill 488 is a step in the right direction toward fixing this nebulous status and better holding four well-funded schools accountable.