From Fair Districts PA (http://www.fairdistrictspa.com):
While we celebrate Independence Day this weekend, let’s also remember that there is much work to be done to restore a state and national government truly responsive to the will of the governed. That work can’t be accomplished without informed and active citizens insisting on legislative structures that allow our voices to be heard.
From our records, it looks like you haven’t yet signed the Fix Harrisburg petition. Please take a minute and do that NOW:
Sign the Fix Harrisburg petition at https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/fix-harrisburg.
What do we mean by “Fix Harrisburg”?
While we’re aware of much that needs attention in the Pennsylvania legislature, we’re focusing on legislative rules that allow one committee chair, or one majority leader, to block legislation with broad bipartisan support.
Our goal is to see new procedural rules that guarantee three things:
- that bills with clear bipartisan support receive a vote in committee
- that bills passed out of committee with bipartisan support receive a vote on the chamber floor
- that bills passed from one chamber with bipartisan support receive a vote in the other chamber.
Right now, just a few gatekeepers can block a bill at any point along the way. As a result, many pressing problems remain unsolved for years, sometimes decades.
Isn’t Fair Districts PA exclusively focused on redistricting reform?
That’s where we started, but our work on redistricting made clear that PA’s legislative process is shutting out ALL of our voices. Until we have a legislature that allows votes on issues of importance, redistricting reform, and many other needed bipartisan solutions, are not possible.
In the six years since we began, FDPA has demonstrated broad bipartisan public support for an independent citizens redistricting commission:
- Over 100,000 petition signature, some from every legislative district in PA
- Resolutions in support from 24 counties and over 350 municipalities, representing over 70% of the PA population
- 110 House cosponsors, more than a majority, with more than 20 from each party
- Surveys showing support from more than 4 out of 5 Pennsylvania respondents
- One of the largest Harrisburg rallies in recent PA history
Despite these demonstrations of support, committee chairs blocked, buried and gutted FDPA-supported bills. This led to research on the legislative process & a growing awareness that avenues forward available in many other states are not available to the people of PA. PA has no path toward citizen initiatives on the ballot, and no avenue to exercise the right promised in the PA constitution to alter and reform our government.
Gerrymandered districts and an unaccountable legislature are part of the same tight knot of dysfunction. That’s why FDPA and the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania launched the Fix Harrisburg campaign.
We know petitions have no legal force in PA, and we’ve seen legislative leaders ignore them. At the same time, we saw in the recent redistricting process: public attention DOES matter, and can force small changes and improvements. We need your help to continue that effort.
Leave a Reply