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This year's 101-day budget impasse put a spotlight on lawmakers in Keystone state and their inability to pass a spending plan.
Last month Newswatch 16 spent two days in Harrisburg asking the question, is our state's legislature too big?
There are 203 elected lawmakers sitting in Pennsylvania's House of Representatives. Fifty more sit in Pennsylvania's State Senate.
The sixth largest state in the nation has the largest full-time legislature.
"Our legislature is double the size of California, larger than New York's, larger than Texas'. It's half the size of Congress almost," said Barry Kauffman of Common Cause.
Then there is the legislative staff, 2,900 strong, also the largest in the nation.
Each of the four caucuses, Senate Democrats, Senate Republicans, House Democrats and House Republicans has its own legal staff, its own communications staff, even its own research staff.
"There are five research offices. You really need only one research office. Every legislator is entitled to his own opinion, but he's not entitled to his own facts," Kauffman added.
"Well, the budget for the legislature as a whole is a little over $300 million for 253 members. So it's well over a million dollars per member. That's way too high," said Tim Potts of Democracy Rising PA.
The cost of Pennsylvania's legislature is a point of contention for advocates, like Potts, a former legislative staffer who now runs the group Democracy Rising PA and Barry Kauffman of the group Common Cause.
"People make the arguments Pennsylvania could reduce the size of its legislature and still do the job. I think you could make good arguments for that, but there are certain trade-offs," said Kauffman.
The trade-offs, according to Kauffman are:
A smaller legislature means constituents, especially those in rural areas, would not have as much face-to-face contact with lawmakers.
Plus, concern that a smaller legislature would consolidate even more power in the state's two largest metropolitan areas, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
Finding lawmakers who want to talk about reducing the size of the legislature is not an easy thing to do. Admittedly, there aren't too many people in the capitol who want anything to do with any proposal that might eliminate their job.
In Pennsylvania, only lawmakers themselves can introduce a bill or call a constitutional convention to change the size of the legislature.
We cornered Democrat John Siptroth, from the Poconos, in a capitol corridor.
"It's time that we evaluate it, really have a good study done, and see if we should be reducing the size of the legislature," Siptroth said. "I haven't heard of one (a study) yet."
There is now.
Last month Newswatch 16 spent two days in Harrisburg asking the question, is our state's legislature too big?
There are 203 elected lawmakers sitting in Pennsylvania's House of Representatives. Fifty more sit in Pennsylvania's State Senate.
The sixth largest state in the nation has the largest full-time legislature.
"Our legislature is double the size of California, larger than New York's, larger than Texas'. It's half the size of Congress almost," said Barry Kauffman of Common Cause.
Then there is the legislative staff, 2,900 strong, also the largest in the nation.
Each of the four caucuses, Senate Democrats, Senate Republicans, House Democrats and House Republicans has its own legal staff, its own communications staff, even its own research staff.
"There are five research offices. You really need only one research office. Every legislator is entitled to his own opinion, but he's not entitled to his own facts," Kauffman added.
"Well, the budget for the legislature as a whole is a little over $300 million for 253 members. So it's well over a million dollars per member. That's way too high," said Tim Potts of Democracy Rising PA.
The cost of Pennsylvania's legislature is a point of contention for advocates, like Potts, a former legislative staffer who now runs the group Democracy Rising PA and Barry Kauffman of the group Common Cause.
"People make the arguments Pennsylvania could reduce the size of its legislature and still do the job. I think you could make good arguments for that, but there are certain trade-offs," said Kauffman.
The trade-offs, according to Kauffman are:
A smaller legislature means constituents, especially those in rural areas, would not have as much face-to-face contact with lawmakers.
Plus, concern that a smaller legislature would consolidate even more power in the state's two largest metropolitan areas, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
Finding lawmakers who want to talk about reducing the size of the legislature is not an easy thing to do. Admittedly, there aren't too many people in the capitol who want anything to do with any proposal that might eliminate their job.
In Pennsylvania, only lawmakers themselves can introduce a bill or call a constitutional convention to change the size of the legislature.
We cornered Democrat John Siptroth, from the Poconos, in a capitol corridor.
"It's time that we evaluate it, really have a good study done, and see if we should be reducing the size of the legislature," Siptroth said. "I haven't heard of one (a study) yet."
There is now.
