PRINTER'S NO. 3593
No. 600 Session of 2006
INTRODUCED BY J. EVANS, RAMALEY, BALDWIN, BASTIAN, BEBKO-JONES,
BOYD, BUXTON, CALTAGIRONE, CURRY, DALEY, DALLY, DeLUCA,
DIVEN, FABRIZIO, FAIRCHILD, GERGELY, GINGRICH, GOOD, GOODMAN,
GRELL, HARRIS, HENNESSEY, KOTIK, LEVDANSKY, MACKERETH,
MARKOSEK, McILHATTAN, NAILOR, PETRARCA, READSHAW, SCAVELLO,
SIPTROTH, SOLOBAY, SONNEY, T. STEVENSON, TIGUE, TRUE, TURZAI,
WALKO, WILT, WOJNAROSKI AND ZUG, FEBRUARY 15, 2006
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON RULES, FEBRUARY 15, 2006
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
1 Establishing a bipartisan commission to conduct a comprehensive
2 study of the impact of reducing the size of the General
3 Assembly.
4 WHEREAS, Under section 16 of Article II of the Constitution
5 of Pennsylvania, the Commonwealth is divided into 50 senatorial
6 and 203 representative districts; and
7 WHEREAS, Many Pennsylvanians have expressed support for
8 reducing the number of legislative districts in the
9 Commonwealth; and
10 WHEREAS, Several bills proposing to amend the Constitution of
11 Pennsylvania to reduce the size of the General Assembly have
12 been introduced; and
13 WHEREAS, These bills vary greatly in the scope of proposed
14 reductions, with some bills proposing to reduce the size of the
15 General Assembly by half and other bills proposing more modest
16 reductions; and
1 WHEREAS, Data has been collected to show how much
2 Commonwealth taxpayers currently spend on the General Assembly,
3 including its members, staff and other operational support, and
4 various individuals and groups have used this data to illustrate
5 how much might be saved by reducing the size of the General
6 Assembly, but there has been no comprehensive study of potential
7 savings and other issues relating to downsizing the General
8 Assembly; and
9 WHEREAS, Information and studies cited by some who seek to
10 reduce the size of the General Assembly are based on other
11 states' particular circumstances and experiences and, thus, may
12 not be completely relevant to the Commonwealth's unique
13 conditions; and
14 WHEREAS, While the potential benefits of reducing the number
15 of legislative districts in the Commonwealth may be cost savings
16 for Pennsylvania taxpayers, a streamlined legislative process
17 and enhanced participation in the process by all legislators and
18 their constituents, others reason that reducing the number of
19 legislative districts could provide less representation for
20 rural areas, more expensive political campaigns and increased
21 power in the hands of lobbyists and special interests; and
22 WHEREAS, It is necessary to collect appropriate and
23 applicable information on the potential impact of legislative
24 "downsizing," given the significant effect that a reduction in
25 the size of the General Assembly would have on the
26 Commonwealth's government and residents; therefore be it
27 RESOLVED (the Senate concurring), That the General Assembly
28 establish a bipartisan commission to conduct a comprehensive
29 study of the current number of legislative districts within this
30 Commonwealth, proposals to amend the Constitution of
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1 Pennsylvania to reduce the size of the General Assembly and the
2 potential impact of the proposed reduction on cost, constituent
3 services, work performed by members and staff, legislative
4 effectiveness and efficiency and representation of constituent
5 interests; and be it further
6 RESOLVED, That the commission review and analyze information
7 relating to the Commonwealth specifically and other state
8 legislatures generally when conducting the study; and be it
9 further
10 RESOLVED, That the commission review and consider information
11 relating to the following questions when analyzing the current
12 number of legislative districts in this Commonwealth and
13 proposals to reduce the size of the General Assembly and when
14 making recommendations regarding the proposed downsizing of the
15 legislature:
16 (1) Whether a reduction in the size of the General
17 Assembly would result in a cost savings for Pennsylvania
18 taxpayers.
19 (2) Whether a reduction in the size of the General
20 Assembly would lead to a decrease in the size of the staff
21 complement.
22 (3) How a reduction in the size of the General Assembly
23 affects constituent services and the ability of legislators
24 to effectively represent constituent interests.
25 (4) Whether there is an optimal size for a House
26 district and a Senatorial district in this Commonwealth.
27 (5) How a reduction in the size of the General Assembly
28 affects the legislative process;
29 and be it further
30 RESOLVED, That the commission be comprised of members as
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1 follows:
2 (1) The Speaker of the House of Representatives or a
3 designee who is a member of the House of Representatives.
4 (2) The Minority Leader of the House of Representatives
5 or a designee who is a member of the House of
6 Representatives.
7 (3) The President pro tempore of the Senate or a
8 designee who is a member of the Senate.
9 (4) The Minority Leader of the Senate or a designee who
10 is a member of the Senate.
11 (5) The Governor or his designee.
12 (6) The Attorney General or his designee.
13 (7) One person, to be appointed by the Speaker of the
14 House of Representatives, with expertise in Pennsylvania
15 constitutional law.
16 (8) One person, to be appointed by the Minority Leader
17 of the House of Representatives, with expertise in
18 Pennsylvania constitutional law.
19 (9) One person, to be appointed by the President pro
20 tempore of the Senate, with expertise in Pennsylvania
21 constitutional law.
22 (10) One person, to be appointed by the Minority Leader
23 of the Senate, with expertise in Pennsylvania constitutional
24 law.
25 (11) Four persons with expertise in the area of
26 Pennsylvania government and the legislative process, to be
27 appointed as follows:
28 (i) One person appointed by the chair of the State
29 Government Committee of the House of Representatives.
30 (ii) One person appointed by the minority chair of
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1 the State Government Committee of the House of
2 Representatives.
3 (iii) One person appointed by the chair of the State
4 Government Committee of the Senate.
5 (iv) One person appointed by the minority chair of
6 the State Government Committee of the Senate;
7 and be it further
8 RESOLVED, That appointments to the commission be made
9 within 30 days of the adoption of this resolution by the House
10 of Representatives and the Senate; and be it further
11 RESOLVED, That the bipartisan commission report its findings
12 and recommendations to the General Assembly no later than
13 October 30, 2006.
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