State lawmakers to take oath on New Year’s Day
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Newly elected members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly are meeting in a rare New Year’s Day session to take their oath of office.
Tuesday’s gathering will mark the first time in 22 years that lawmakers will be sworn in on the holiday. The state constitution requires that the event take place on the first Tuesday in January every other year.
In addition to taking their oaths, lawmakers must approve operating rules for the House and Senate for the two-year session and members of each chamber are expected to re-elect their presiding officers.
Plenty of work awaits the Legislature, with transportation funding, pension reform and passage of the 2013-14 state budget at the top of the list.
Republicans maintained control of both houses of the Legislature in the November election.