The state House voted 148-50 to take the historic step of beginning the process of letting voters decide whether they want to amend the state constitution to reduce the size of that chamber from 203 members established by the 1968 constitutional convention to 153 members.

Pa. House approves legislation that seeks to let voters decide whether to shrink the size of the state House of Representatives from 203 members to 153 members. It is expected to vote on legislation to shrink the size of the state Senate from 50 members to 38 members yet this afternoon.

This action now sends the proposal to the Senate for consideration. Both chambers must approve the legislation in two consecutive legislative sessions and be approved by voters to be added to the state constitution.

The House immediately thereafter took a vote to amend the state constitution to reduce the Senate to 38 members from the current 50 members. It passed by a 150-48 vote with no debate.



The legislation proposes this change take effect after the 2020 census.

The House-shrinking proposal, sponsored by House Speaker Sam Smith, R-Jefferson, said he believes the House will be more productive and the legislation it produces will be of higher quality if the chamber was smaller.

“We may not always agree but I believe we will do a better job if there is a smaller number of us because we will have a better understanding of what the other person’s problems are, what their constituent views are,” Smith said.

Others also noted that communication and transportation advances make it easier for members to keep in contact with their constituents.

But several members spoke in opposition to changing the House’s size during a lengthy debate. They said it would increase special interests’ influence on government, it would hurt rural areas’ representation, and it will make House members less accessible to their constituents.

Instead of representing the 62,500 people, Rep. Mark Longietti, D-Mercer, said this would increase House districts to 83,000 people.

That would make it so Pennsylvania House members would represent more people than their colleagues in 40 other states. Right now, they represent more people than their colleagues in 32 states, he said.

So when it comes to identifying what is the appropriate size of a House district, Longietti said, “it looks like Pennsylvania is the appropriate size.”

Rep. Chris Sainato, D-Lawrence, said in one of the many impassioned speeches delivered on the House floor about this proposal, that this reduction is nothing more than a power grab. "It's important that we represent the people who sent us here," he said. "We're not beholden to those who have the money whether it's the leaders or special interest groups out there who will control it."

Rep. Kathy Rapp, R-Warren, agreed with that sentiment. "I do see this as a rural legislator as a step to consolidate power in the hands of a few," she said. "I believe this piece of legislation does take away the voices of rural Pennsylvania, which is why the (Pennsylvania) Farm Bureau opposes this."

But Rep. Rick Saccone, R-Allegheny, who visited 14 other states' legislature, said he disagreed with his colleagues who opposed this reduction. He said Ohio, New York and Illinois – states with about the same population as or greater than Pennsylvania – have fewer House members than Pennsylvania.

He said it was amazing to observe how the Ohio House of Representatives, which has 99 House members, functioned. "It was much less chaos like we see on the floor here now," he said. "It's much more sincere debate."

But Rep. Mark Cohen, D-Philadelphia, said that doesn't mean the people in those states with smaller legislatures are better served. He predicted if this amendment were to be approved, it will result in many headaches.

Others spoke of the cost savings that would result from this change, which is estimated to be about $5 million a year. But Saccone said his support for the measure is less about the cost savings and more about making the Legislature function more effectively.

*

This post was updated to reflect the House vote on the proposal to shrink the size of the Senate. It was updated to correct the number of states that have House members who represent fewer constituents than Pennsylvania's House members now represent.