Jan. 28, 2016
HARRISBURG – Rep. Jerry Knowles (R-Berks/Carbon/Schuylkill) is the sponsor of legislation aimed at reducing the size of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, and is pleased with the progress the bill is making.
House Bill 153 would reduce the number of seats in the House to 151; there are currently 203 seats.
His bill passed the state Senate Wednesday, and for it to take effect, the measure must pass both chambers next session before going to the voters for approval.
“First and foremost, I believe that the decision to downsize the House should be made by the people of Pennsylvania,” Knowles said. “I hear all the time about how our government is too big, or it costs too much in taxpayer dollars. That’s what this bill is all about – downsizing and streamlining processes to operate more efficiently at a lower cost to taxpayers.”
The reduction of members in the state Legislature would require a constitutional amendment. If approved by the voters, it would not be effective until the first legislative session after the 2020 reapportionment.
“At the core of good governance lies fiscal responsibility,” said Speaker of the House Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny). “Because legislators have a fiduciary duty to protect taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars, House Republicans have led the charge in championing two proposed constitutional amendments to reduce the size of the legislature.”
“There’s no rhyme or reason to having 203 seats,” Knowles explained. “Actually, the final number was the result of a map drawing mistake after the 1968 Constitutional Convention. They just didn’t fix the map and settled on 203. That sort of says it all.”
Currently, each House member represents approximately 62,000. Under Knowles plan, each House member would represent 84,500 residents.
For more information about Knowles’ legislation, or any other legislative topic, contact Knowles’ district office in Tamaqua at 570-668-1240, or in Hamburg at 610-562-3411. Information can also be found online at
RepKnowles.com or
Facebook.com/RepKnowles.
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| On Wednesday, Rep. Jerry Knowles (R-Berks/Carbon/Schuylkill) joined Speaker of the House Mike Turzai at the rostrum as House Bill 153 was signed by the speaker. It must still pass the General Assembly next session before going to the voters. |
Representative Jerry Knowles
124th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Krisinda Corbin
717.705.2032
kcorbin@pahousegop.com
RepKnowles.com /
Facebook.com/RepKnowles