Local state representatives weigh in on bill to possibly reduce number of House memebers
Associated Press
Local members of the state House of Representatives support a bill that would reduce its size, but say they are concerned that an increase in geographical area could leave constituents without adequate access.
Warner
Walsh
Local State House members are supporting a bill to reduce the size of the number of the legislature, while noting concern for constituents in more rural districts.
House Bill 153 could amend the state Constitution to reduce the number of state representatives from 203 to 151 as a way to save tax dollars.
“I am always looking for ways to cut cost for government,” said state Rep. Pam Snyder, D-Jefferson, who voted for the bill during the last session. Before she votes on it again this session, Snyder said she wants to see if anything has changed in the bill. “There are pros and cons to this.”
Snyder said those representatives with a denser population may not see much of a change, as the redistricting will be based on population. Every district will gain around 20,000 constituents, she said, but in districts like hers, there could be a huge geographical increase.
“My district is a larger district of 650 square miles,” she said. “If this becomes law, my district has the potential to go to 1,000 square miles.”
While Snyder said she would be ready to take on the challenge of representing a larger area, she has concerns that constituents in her district may not be able to as readily have access her.
She noted that if the geographical area of a district undergoes a large expansion, it could result in the need to hire additional staff or open additional service offices within the district.
“People will vote for this, and I totally understand that thought process,” Snyder said. “I’m just worried about the future of my constituents.”
State Rep. Ryan Warner, R-Perryopolis, said he also supported and voted for the bill last session as Pennsylvania has the largest full-time legislature, though he agrees with Snyder that the bill could have unintended, negative consequences.
“When there’s 20,000 more constituents, your voice is not as powerful,” Warner said, adding that while reducing the size of the legislature wasn’t the number one concern that voters have mentioned to him, he believes it’s supported across the state. “I’ve only heard from people who want to reduce the size. Not too many people want to keep it the same size.”
Warner said the proposed 25 percent reduction would save millions of dollars annually. He also supports the same percentage reduction of the state Senate from 50 to 38, though the Senate is not a part of House Bill 153.
“I think they should be done together,” Warner said. “If you reduce the size of one, we should reduce the size of the other.”
State Rep. Justin Walsh, R-Rostraver, said he supports the measure that is estimated to save anywhere between $8 million to $10 million yearly, and could ease the process of passing legislation. A recent article in Business Insider lists the average pay for a state representative at $85,338, ranking Pennsylvania’s pay the second highest in the country.
“The general opinion of the people is the Pennsylvania legislature is too big,” Walsh said, who added that opinion grows stronger when they hear of the legislature not passing budgets. “In my opinion, if we’re going to do it to the House, we might as well do it to the Senate.”
State Rep. Matthew Dowling, R-Uniontown, said if the bill comes up for a vote, he will support it, as the voters should have the opportunity to decide whether they would like to reduce the size of the House.
“I certainly understand the desire to have a smaller government, but if we are truly to achieve that, we should be looking at reducing the size of the state Senate and administrative departments staffed with thousands of bureaucrats as well,” Dowling said.
Along with his colleagues, Dowling also recognized the potential consequences for having less access to elected officials.
“I have also found, in my first year as a lawmaker, that the larger membership of the House allows us to have a variety of people from all different walks of life and backgrounds, which can be helpful as we work to address issues facing the commonwealth,” Dowling said.
Because the bill would require changes to the state Constitution, even though the bill passed through the state House and Senate during the last term, it needs to pass both chambers one additional time before it placed on ballot as a referendum so the voters can decide.
If passed, the new numbers will be implemented during the next census in 2020.