The Senate State Government Committee today (January 20) approved legislation introduced by Senator Elder Vogel that would reduce the size of the Pennsylvania General Assembly.
Senate Bill 488, which would decrease the Senate from 50 to 45 Senatorial Districts and the House of Representatives from 203 to 153 districts, now goes to the full Senate for consideration.
“This is a bill that I have been working to get passed since I was elected to the Senate. When I first ran for office, one consistent message I heard from voters was that the size and scope of the Pennsylvania General Assembly was far too large and wasted too much taxpayer money,” Senator Vogel said. “I made a commitment to the voters and I will continue working on this until we get it through the process and onto the ballot as a referendum.”
The proposed change requires an amendment to the state constitution, which means the same bill must be debated and passed by both the House and Senate in two consecutive sessions, and subsequently approved by referendum vote of the people of Pennsylvania.
CONTACT:
Anthony Tammaro
atammaro@pasen.gov