Allow votes on bipartisan legislation in Pennsylvania

In the Pennsylvania Legislature, procedural rules allow committee chairs and majority party leaders to block legislation from coming to a vote. As a result, bill co-sponsorship means nothing as it does not guarantee a committee vote. A unanimous committee vote does not guarantee a vote on the floor. And a unanimous vote in one chamber does not guarantee a vote in the other.

In the upcoming session, Democrats will vote on their priorities in the House. Republicans will vote on their priorities in the Senate. Bipartisan bills that pass one chamber should be guaranteed a vote in the other.

Assuming the Senate finally votes on newly-elected Tracy Pennycuick’s bipartisan legislation to establish a task force on Women Veterans’ Health Care, newly-elected Rep. Donna Scheuren should be guaranteed an opportunity to vote on this legislation in the House. And when the House finally votes on Rep. Joe Ciresi’s bipartisan charter school funding reform bill, Sen. Pennycuick should be guaranteed an opportunity to vote on this legislation in the Senate.

If bipartisan legislation that passes out of one chamber is guaranteed a vote in the other, rankand-file legislators would have real agency in determining what bills move. That agency would promote collaboration across the aisle and would lead to votes on priorities that matter to all Pennsylvanians.

Contact your legislators and tell them to insist on rules that guarantee votes for bipartisan bills in committee, on the floor and in both chambers..

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