Local lawmakers discuss bills to reduce size of legislature
Snyder
Kula
Daley
Mahoney
Kasunic
Following a vote in the state House of Representatives Tuesday resulting in the approval of two bills aimed at reducing the size of the Legislature, local lawmakers laid out the reasoning behind their votes.
Both Reps. Tim Mahoney, D-South Union Township, and Pam Snyder, D-Jefferson, voted for the two bills, which mark a step toward amending the state’s constitution. One bill would reduce the number of seats in the House from 203 to 153 and the other would take the Senate from 50 seats to 38. Rep. Deberah Kula, D-North Union Township, voted against the measure. Rep. Peter J. Daley, D-California, a longtime proponent of reducing the size of the legislature, was absent from the vote due to illness.
Snyder said during her campaign she promised voters that she would address the issue, focusing on the cost-saving aspect of downsizing state government.
“If you eliminate 50 state representatives and 12 senators — you do the math,” said Snyder, pointing out the cost of salaries for those lawmakers and their staffers, and the cost of operating their satellite offices.
Serving one of the biggest districts in the state, Snyder said she tries to be as economical as she can. For example, she said she started an outreach program which sends staffers to rural areas on a monthly basis, at little or no additional cost to her office.
“There are ways to reach constituents in a cost-effective manner,” said Snyder.
Agreeing with the notion that state representatives should be hands-on and accessible, even more so than federal representatives, Snyder said she understands the criticism that reducing the Legislature could mean less access to constituents. However, she said as a congressional staffer for eight years, she helped cover a five-county area, and, “We got it done.”
For Mahoney, the decision centered on efficiency in government. “More people means more bureaucracy,” he said. “All you have is gridlock, everything is partisan.”
Mahoney pointed to Ohio’s Legislature, with its chambers comprising 33 Senators and 99 Representatives, saying, “They seem to be able to get laws through at an easier and quicker pace.”
While critics of the bill believe rural areas may be underserved with fewer lawmakers, Mahoney said he didn’t believe access to constituents would be a problem for him in his district.
“Access, for me, is easy,” he said, “because I’m out and about, and my staff is out and about.”
Should the bills pass the Senate when it reconvenes in 2014, a second round of legislative sessions would then be required, followed by a statewide referendum that would occur at the earliest in 2015. Actual reductions in seats would not be realized until at least 2020.
State Sen. Rich Kasunic, D-Dunbar,said he supports the move toward a smaller legislature. Kasunic is the co-sponsor of senate bill 336, which calls for slightly smaller reductions, leaving the House with 121 seats and the Senate with 40.
According to Kasunic, with increased technology and transportation, he doesn’t believe the need exists for so many legislators in the state.
“We might get more done with fewer members,” he said.
He said the House could save an estimated $10 to 15 million, and the Senate could reduce spending by $5 to 8 million, but worried that some of those savings could be lost if the remaining legislators choose to hire more staff or open more offices.
Kasunic also said he’s concerned about rural representation, but to him it’s less about face time with constituents and more about being certain that rural voters’ issues are represented.
“I’ve been a long supporter of down-sizing the Legislature,” said Kasunic. “But I don’t want to see it negatively impact rural areas.”
Mahoney said he was the first Democratic co-sponsor of the legislation and that he campaigned in part on a platform of reducing the size of the the General Assembly.
Kula said the biggest reason she opposed the measures was because of the impact on rural counties, adding that she didn’t believe the Commonwealth would see much of a reduction in spending.
“The last Constitutional Convention was in 1968; at that time was when they increased the Legislature,” Kula noted. Since then, the population has increased, signalling the need to maintain the level of representation already in place, she said.
Kula also said she didn’t think reducing the size of the Legislature would have much effect on government gridlock.
“The biggest difficulty is people not dealing with legislative issues in a bi-partisan manner,” said Kula.
Daley, a representative of more than 30 years, has long advocated for a smaller legislature, possibly going to a unicameral state government.
That change would eliminate the House and Senate, and only one body of legislators would be elected.
That proposal is not under consideration under either bill.