Pennsylvania Constitutional Amendments Considered — Leo Knepper of Citizens Alliance of Pennsylvania sent us the below discussion of proposed state constitutional amendments. They are aimed at limiting the use of emergency declarations by the governor and replacing state-wide elections of judges to the Supreme, Commonwealth and Superior courts, with election by district. This would weaken the power the corrupt Philadelphia and Pittsburgh machines have over the judiciary.
They are desperately needed as the governor and the state courts behaved more like those of a banana republic in the last year rather than one that respects rights.
Frankly, the entire Constitution should be rewritten.
“Full time” legislators ought to be replaced by part-time ones compensated solely by per diem with a term of no more than 20 days. Legislative districts should no longer be allowed to include a partial county. More than one county, yes. Partial counties no.
This should have been done before they ever voted on Act 77, in October 2019. But I guess it is better late than never?
That full-time legislators will be replaced by part-time legislators means temporarily for the vote to amend the PA Constitution? How will the part-timers be chosen?
Pennsylvania had a part-time legislature before the 1968 constitutional reforms. They were elected just as they are now. It’s just that they didn’t work — or supposedly work — all year and weren’t paid with the presumption they did.
https://billlawrenceonline.com/pennsylvania-legislature-size-not-the-problem/