Harrisburg, May 25, 2011 – Senator Judy Schwank (D-Berks) today introduced a proposed constitutional amendment to reduce the size of the Pennsylvania General Assembly by more than a third.
“The legislature has to be unleashed from the old way of thinking, which costs taxpayers millions of dollars more each year than is either appropriate or necessary,” said Senator Schwank, a former director of the non-profit advocacy group 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania and two-term Berks County Commissioner. “We have to move away from a structure that no longer makes sense and costs more than we need or can afford to pay.
“Modern technology allows people to remain in constant, even immediate contact with their legislators, and our legislative framework should reflect the fact that we don’t stay in touch by telegraph and horse buggies anymore.”
Senator Schwank’s bill, SB 1079, would cut 82 members from the House of Representatives, shrinking it to 121 members from 203. The Senate would lose 10 members, going to 40 Senators from 50 now.
Doing so would reduce the ratio of House members to Senators to 3:1 from 4:1, Senator Schwank said, noting that her proposal has bi-partisan support.
“The legislature has to be flexible enough to reflect legitimately local interests,” Senator Schwank said. “But it also must deal with the reality that today’s events impact communities of interest that are far broader than fixed municipal or legislative boundaries.”
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