When our Harrisburg representatives run for office, they tell voters that they will represent us. But they don’t. In fact, they willingly agree not to.
As every new session begins, legislators vote on procedural rules. Currently, those rules allow only majority party leaders and committee chairs to bring bills out of committee to votes in the House or Senate. This shifts so much power to majority party leaders that representatives like Leslie Rossi and Eric Nelson can do little regarding issues important to their constituents. Majority party leaders like Sen. Kim Ward, on the other hand, have significant power over which bills get votes.
Need some evidence? Start with the Trib’s editorial ”Lawmakers’ big raises are an affront to Pa. taxpayers” (Aug. 21, TribLIVE). Legislators could stop giving themselves automatic raises, but House majority leaders have prevented a vote, even though both parties unanimously supported a bill to do that. A Senate committee is still arguing about their bill. Voters can only wonder whether Ward will exert her influence there to move the bill forward.
Want to know why your property taxes have increased repeatedly for the past decade? For at least that long, bills to reform funding for cyber charter schools have died in committee, despite strong support from both political parties, from Pennsylvania citizens and from 432 out of 500 school districts. School districts have had no choice but to raise taxes. That reform will die in committee again this year.
Call your representatives. Ask why they choose to represent majority party leaders instead of voters who elected them.
Helen Sitler
Ligonier