Posted: | December 11, 2012 03:23 PM |
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From: | Senator Judith L. Schwank |
To: | All Senate members |
Subject: | Reducing the Legislature |
I shortly will re- introduce SB 1079. a constitutional amendment to reduce the General Assembly by more than a third, to 40 Senators and 121 Representatives. Our present legislative structure was designed for the mid-19th century, when a larger number of members were needed to represent constituencies sharply divided by then-challenging terrain features, local economies were dominant, and communication outside hollering range relied on foot and horseback. None of these conditions still exist, and this framework tied to outdated circumstances wastes millions of tax dollars a year, in addition to tying the legislature’s hands in responding to evolving economic and social conditions. My proposal lowers the ratio of Representatives to Senators to 3:1 from 4:1, which is within the historic parameters for the Pennsylvania General Assembly . Co-sponsors of SB 1079 included Senators Boscola, Brewster, Brubaker, Ferlo, Folmer, Fontana, Kasunic, Solobay, Vogel, Waugh, D. White and Yudichak. |
Introduced as SB336