In the near future, we will be re-introducing resolutions to enact much-needed reforms to the Senate Rules for the upcoming 2025-26 Legislative Session. We will offer these resolutions for adoption on Swearing-In day on January 7, 2025.
Last session, we introduced these reforms as Senate Resolutions 5, 6, and 7, which were referred to the Senate Rules Committee - where they sat for two years without a hearing or a vote.
These updates to the Senate Rules are designed to advance policy, ensure government transparency, encourage public participation in the legislative process, and hold senators accountable to the public. These reforms are simple, non-partisan measures that are common in other states and ensure the voices of every Pennsylvanian are heard, not just those with power and influence.
The following changes to the Senate Rules are included in the resolutions:
Operating Rules: - Ensure adequate public notice of Senate action by requiring the marked calendar to be released at least 24 hours and supplemental calendar at least 12 hours before the start of session.
- Require action on bipartisan legislation and legislation that has received bipartisan support in the House.
- Ensure every amendment gets a vote and requires that all amendment votes, both in committee and on the floor, are recorded on the public-facing website of the legislature and in the Senate journal.
- Require makers of bills to stand for interrogation upon request.
- Expand the type of floor actions that are debatable, including the motion to table.
- Require a ⅔ vote for special order of business and certain motions, including tabling and adopting or dispensing of Senate Rules.
- Expand legislative requirements and action for bills on concurrence, including allowing amendments to be offered on the floor to bills on concurrence.
- Permit prime sponsor to call for floor vote if bill has been on third consideration for 9 days.
- Require all bills go through Appropriations and have publicly-available fiscal note prior to final passage.
- Expand the camera view to the full Senate floor during session so the public can see who is on the floor and observe senators casting their votes and while at ease.
- Prohibit the presiding officer from ordering any portion of the Floor session not be broadcast or recorded, even with consent of the Senate.
- Permit Senators to post unedited video clips of Senate session that are not limited to only the Senator who is posting it.
- Require availability of remote participation for session and committee meetings.
- Require online posting of resumes and statements of financial interest for all Executive Nominees at least one week prior to a confirmation vote.
- Require that all bills and resolutions receive a vote in committee.
- Require Majority and Minority Party participation to conduct official business, including committee meeting quorum requirements
- Mandate all committee hearings to be livestreamed, recorded, and archived to ensure meetings held in the Rules Committee Room are viewable by the public.
- Guarantee equitable representation on standing committees.
- Authorize Minority Chairs to call committee hearings.
- Empower Minority Chairs to add legislation to the committee voting agenda.
- Authorize the majority of committee members plus one to convene a standing committee meeting.
- Require committee meetings be sunshined at least 72 hours in advance and amendments in committee be available at least 24 hours prior to meeting.
- Require a 2/3 vote of committee members to proceed with a non-sunshined committee meeting.
- Require Committee Chairs to administer oaths for all testifiers at hearings.
- Require bills and resolutions be referred to committee within 7 calendar days.
- Expand timeline to discharge committees from 10 to 20 legislative days.
- Require a reasonable opportunity for public comment at all committee meetings and hearings.
- Authorize the Minority Leader to pay for recording and transcribing of hearings with sources other than committee funds.
- Empower the prime sponsor of a bill or resolution to require a Committee chair to hold a hearing and voting meeting.
Ethics Rules: - Implement a sexual harassment and misconduct policy to protect all individuals working within the State Capitol, including outside contractors, lobbyists, and visitors.
Finance Rules: - Require all members’ legislative expenses and all per diem payments to be publicly posted and in searchable format on the public-facing website of the legislature.
We regularly hear from constituents who are confused by the Senate’s legislative process and want the opportunity to be more engaged around issues that are important to them. Our role as elected officials is to make government accessible to everyone, but our rules have done the opposite.
Please join us as cosponsors to reform the Senate Rules and to make Pennsylvania’s policy making process more open, transparent, and participatory. |
