Letter to the editor: Time to reform legislative rules

On Jan. 3, Pennsylvania state legislators will begin the new session by establishing procedural rules governing their operations. This is where, behind closed doors, a handful of majority leaders and committee chairs assume control over all state legislation. It’s where our elected reps are pressured to permit their “leaders” to decide which bills will ever make it to a vote, regardless of public or bipartisan support. It’s where Pennsylvanians lose representation by the same officials we voted for.

The cost of this power play is high. Pennsylvania legislators are the third highest paid in the nation. Their recent pay raise puts them in the six-figure bracket, and their operations budget is just short of a quarter billion dollars. And yet Pennsylvania ranks 42nd among the states in economy, 44th in infrastructure and 47th in fiscal stability (U.S. News & World Report Best States Ranking). Ninety-three percent of bills introduced in the last session were never scheduled for a final vote, and most didn’t even get a committee hearing. Bills passed in the Senate had no hearing in the House and vice versa. Committee chairs openly bragged about blocking, shelving and tabling bills.

Enough! Taxpaying Pennsylvanians need honest, ethical representation, not partisan games. I urge my representative, Abby Major, and Sen. Joe Pittman to reform these rules.

Learn more at FixHarrisburg.com. Then contact your reps and tell them, “Reform the rules!” They’re supposed to be working for us.

Jeanne Passarelli

Allegheny Township, Westmoreland County