Members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly reportedly are "chomping at the bit to get something done" in these final days before the Nov. 7 general election. They should have been so concerned during the rest of the two years that they had to accomplish something, but instead squandered much of their time.

But on at least one piece of unfinished business, the state's lawmakers should do nothing now, instead allowing the next session of the legislature to complete the task. That issue is an effective lobbyist disclosure law.

Pennsylvania is the only state without a law requiring lobbyists to report what they spend to influence lawmakers, and that needs to change.

The House and Senate were said to be closing in on an agreement on that legislation, but the Senate's Democratic leader, Robert Mellow of Lackawanna County, has made a good point.

Mellow said the legislation should wait for the new General Assembly to come aboard because departing legislators could be persuaded to vote for a watered-down reporting standard for lobbyists because they no longer will have to answer to the voters.

A vote to approve watered-down provisions also might be self-serving. It's possible some of the departing legislators might have intentions to pursue a lobbyist career.

About one-fifth of the General Assembly's 253 members will be departing when their current term ends on Nov. 30, including the Senate's top two leaders, who were among more than a dozen lawmakers defeated for re-election in the May primary.

The 15 months since the General Assembly's now-infamous middle-of-the-night pay raise vote on July 7, 2005, have sent a message to lawmakers that the voters are not as disinterested in what goes on at the state Capitol as they had assumed.

It must be hoped that the outrage directed at lawmakers since that vote will carry over to the new legislature, if strong lobbyist-disclosure requirements are not put into effect — and if the new legislature becomes bogged down by petty partisanship like that which the current legislature has consistently demonstrated.

"Everyone and their brother is chomping at the bit to get something done," said the House Republican leader, Sam Smith of Jefferson County.

Accomplishing nothing would be no great loss, however, since the current session can't really pride itself on very many accomplishments.

Actually, for Pennsylvania, the quicker lawmakers go home, the better — and hopefully by the time the final Nov. 7 votes are counted, many more incumbents will join the ranks of those defeated in May.