Investigative Report: Pennsylvania’s Lawmakers Receive Big Bucks for Doing Less Lawmaking

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Image of the Pennsylvania legislature via Katie Meyer, WHYY.

Pennsylvania has the largest full-time legislature in the country with lawmakers who are among the highest-paid nationwide, despite continuing to do less and less actual lawmaking, write Jonathan Lai and Liz Navratil for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

According to an analysis of four decades of legislative data by Spotlight PA – an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Inquirer – the number of bills introduced in the legislature has decreased by more than 20 percent from its peak in the early 1990s. Additionally, the number of bills actually passed into law has reduced even more dramatically.

The analysis found that lawmakers are making up for fewer bills by introducing significantly more resolutions, most of which are purely ceremonial statements.

These trends coincide with academic research that shows Republicans and Democrats in the legislature are more divided on issues than ever before and are less willing to cross political lines to reach a compromise.

However, Mike Straub, a spokesperson for House Republicans, believes the number of bills is not a good indicator of the whole legislative story.

“We believe the success of our chamber is not measured in bill volume, but in how our constituents respond to our members,” he said.

Read more in The Philadelphia Inquirer here.

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