Our dysfunctional Pennsylvania Legislature is back in session and both chambers are crowing their passage of bills on issues long unaddressed. Trouble is, both are also refusing to take up the other’s bills.

Three-fourths of the way through our current two-year term, our “full-time” Legislature has written over 3,200 bills but jointly passed just 87.

In its study “Dysfunction by Design,” nonpartisan reform group Fair Districts PA and its affiliate Fix Harrisburg spotlighted numerous issues with broad support that perpetually go unaddressed — from banning gifts to legislators to creating fair standards for charter school funding.

FDPA/Fix volunteers have spoken to over 47,000 Pennsylvanians about the need for change and gathered 130,000-plus signatures for reforms, including an independent citizens redistricting commission to take mapping out of the hands of self-interested legislators and reduce the gerrymandering and hyper-partisanship that cripples our legislative process.

Two-thirds of Pennsylvanians support these changes — that’s bipartisan. Fair Districts and its allies have introduced HB 1776 and SB 1076, again proposing a Pennsylvania constitutional amendment to create an independent commission. HB 1776 already has over 40 co-sponsors but will again be blocked by leaders whose power would be threatened — unless we demand change.

Tell your state representatives to support HB 1776 and SB 1076 and sign on as co-sponsors. (Our website, www.fair districtspa.com, can help you locate them.) Learn more and join the fight today, because until this changes, nothing changes — not red, not blue … just fair!

Doug Webster

Monroeville

The writer is a Fair Districts PA/Fix Harrisburg volunteer.

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