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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Barb McIlvaine Smith
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McIlvaine Smith joins bipartisan effort to give all ideas a chance
Co-sponsors resolution that would give more power to rank-and-file members to pass legislation
HARRISBURG, Sept. 16 – State Rep. Barb McIlvaine Smith, D-Chester, today joined several legislators at a news conference in Harrisburg to call for a change in the way bills are introduced and considered in the state House of Representatives.
McIlvaine Smith said under a proposed resolution (H.R. 851), bills could no longer get bogged down in a House committee, destined to never see the light of day.
"This resolution would return power to rank-and-file members rather than allowing it to rest in the hands of a few," McIlvaine Smith said. "It would allow all legislators, including freshmen members, to better serve their constituents by giving all ideas an opportunity to be heard and considered."
House Resolution 851 would limit the number of bills a legislator could introduce in a two-year session to eight, allow members to designate two of their bills as "priority" measures and impose a cutoff of June 1 for the introduction of new bills in legislative election years. The resolution would require committees to consider priority bills within 120 days of receiving them. If a bill were voted out of committee, it would have to be considered by the full House within 30 session days.
"The way things are now in the House, all voices are not always heard," McIlvaine Smith said. "This resolution would streamline operations, reduce duplication of efforts, increase transparency of our institution and better serve the needs of all the citizens of Pennsylvania."
The resolution has received wide bipartisan support and is currently in the House Rules Committee.
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