Apr 14, 2022 2 min read

It’s hard to say exactly when the Republican state legislative majorities abandoned the legislative process, since they didn’t do much with it even when Republican Gov. Tom Corbett was in office.

But the move from legislating to converting the state constitution into a legislative instrument is in full flower. According to the Spotlight PA amendment tracker, legislators have introduced an astounding 80 proposed constitutional amendments this session – more than in the previous five sessions combined.

This abuse is said to flow from Republican lawmakers’ frustration with Gov. Tom Wolf’s vetoes. But if they’re frustrated, just think how Pennsylvania taxpayers must feel about the lawmakers’ do-nothing obstructionism. To relieve that, here are a few amendments that the lawmakers should pass.

• Allow adjustments of future pension benefits. Legislators contend that the state constitution precludes any change to the massive benefits that they have awarded themselves, and the merely major increases that they have bestowed upon other state employees and school employees.

In the real world, companies adjust pension benefits all the time, for future benefits not yet earned. But lawmakers, many of whom will be paid pension benefits higher than their current salaries, claim that the constitution precludes reducing even future, as-yet unearned benefits.

That’s most likely nonsense, but to make it clear, they should move an amendment plainly stating that the state can reduce future benefits to reduce the state’s $5 billion-plus annual pension bill.

• Lawmakers should move an amendment to reduce by half the size of the nation’s largest allegedly “full-time” legislature from 203 representatives and 50 senators. Doing so would save scores of millions of dollars every year but, better yet, produce more competitive legislative races.
• To prevent the careerism that drives the pension abuses noted earlier, introduce an amendment for legislative term limits. That, along with a smaller legislature, would produce legislators facing time limits to actually do something rather than pad their pensions.
• Create a truly independent redistricting commission to end gerrymandering, increase electoral competition and ensure fair representation.

The amendment can work to the public good if it used to replace the people who abuse it.