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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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CONTACT:
Victoria L. Stanish |
State Rep. Kathy Manderino |
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Manderino participates in first Speaker’s Reform Commission hearing
Commission seeks public input on how House conducts business
HARRISBURG, Jan. 24 – State Rep. Kathy Manderino, D-Phila./Montgomery, attended the first public meeting of the Speaker’s Legislative Reform Commission this week to discuss proposed changes to the way the state House conducts business.
Manderino, a member of the bipartisan panel, said it was established by House Speaker Dennis O’Brien to reform the rules for operating the state House of Representatives and to consider other reforms to the legislative process.
“It’s important to ensure that the operating rules of the House give rank-and-file members equal access to the legislative processes established in state government so they can effectively meet the needs of their constituents,” Manderino said. “The reform agenda we are advancing would give these legislators and the public more input into what takes place on a daily basis, and it would help us move toward more open, accountable state government.”
At the meeting, the commission heard about the proposed rules changes being advanced by a bipartisan group co-chaired by Manderino and state Rep. Dave Steil, R-Bucks. The bipartisan group asked the Speaker’s Commission to consider the proposals that they have been working on for the past year as a starting point on which the commission can build. The proposals include:
- No legislative business could be conducted before 8 a.m. or after 11 p.m.;
- Committee meetings called off the floor of the House could not meet in the hall of the House. All meetings would have be open to the public;
- All votes would be posted on a publicly accessible legislative Web site at the close of daily session;
- A legislative journal to show members voting by proxy would be established;
- Neither the Appropriations nor Rules committees could substantively amend any bill unless the bill originated in that committee.
The commission will hold public hearings on Jan. 30 and Jan. 31, which will also give all House members a chance to comment on the proposed changes. The commission is scheduled to present its final report to the full House on March 12.
The public may comment on the issue by e-mailing their thoughts and opinions to commission members at reform@pahouse.net. People also can e-mail Manderino through her Web site, www.pahouse.com/manderino.
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Attention Radio News Directors: An actuality from Rep. Manderino is available by calling 1-800-452-3001. Enter PA194 (7-2-194) and the pound sign (#) at the menu prompt to get today’s sound. You can also download the sound in .mp3 format by visiting www.pahouse.com/mediacenter.
Attention News Editors: A print-quality photograph to accompany this news release can be downloaded at www.pahouse.com/mediacenter. To access the photo, click on the Photos link. If you experience technical difficulties, please call 717-787-7895.
Suggested cut line: Rep. Manderino at Tuesday’s meeting to discuss reforming the rules of the state House.