Did you know that Pennsylvania ranks near the bottom of all states in getting bills passed? A report by the non-partisan organization Fair District PA shows that in the last two legislative sessions (2021-22 and 2023-24), less than 7% of bills introduced by either the PA House or Senate were passed. In the current session (2025-26), so far only 5% were passed. And this despite the fact that many other state legislatures are part-time and pay their legislators much less than in PA. (In fact, PA ranks 3rd highest in full-time, state legislator salaries).
Much of the blame lies in the PA Legislature’s codified rules for conducting business. The majority party of each chamber gets to appoint committee leaders and they are the ones with the power to choose whether or not a bill will be heard. So, even if a bill is passed in one chamber with bi-partisan support, the other chamber’s committee leadership can choose to do nothing and let it die as the legislative session runs out.
With Republicans leading in the Senate, and Democrats leading with a slim, one-person majority in the House, you would expect a fair amount of gridlock. But keep in mind, for most of the past 30 years, Republicans led both chambers. And still, a vast majority of proposed legislation in PA never gets fully debated in the Legislature, let alone in any public hearings.
You may remember, I blogged about the “Do-nothing Republicans” last year (here). Things haven’t changed. So far in this legislative session, of all the bills introduced, along with those that were finalized within committee, only 35% originated in the GOP-led Senate. Of the bills that have so far been passed by the full Legislature, a mere 26% came from the Senate.
It seems to me, the PA Republicans decided a long time ago that there was no reason to change a system that keeps most of the business of the PA Legislature behind closed doors. Isn’t it time we shook things up?
We can do this in the next election by flipping the PA Senate from Red to Blue and increasing the Democrat’s majority in the House. Represent PA invests in strong women incumbents and candidates for PA’s State Legislature who oppose the GOP’s do-nothing obstructionism and who come to Harrisburg to do the work that’s required to make things better for all Pennsylvanians. It’s not too early to help these women who need “early” money to kick-start their campaigns. Join us and donate now.