Harrisburg — Ask Pennsylvanians what comes to mind when they hear the words “state government,” and the responses will regularly include corruption, late budgets, cronyism, wasteful spending and ineffectiveness.

In a January poll from Franklin & Marshall College, only 16 percent of Pennsylvania voters said the state Legislature was doing a “good” job.

It’s not surprising, then, that the idea of returning the state Legislature to part-time is gaining steam, given the lack of trust in our elected officials.

With a price tag that has grown to $300 million, the 253-member General Assembly is the most expensive (and second-largest) Legislature in the country. It’s also among the four most “professionalized” in the nation, with staff totaling nearly 3,000.

For perspective, the legislatures of Illinois and Ohio – the states closest in population to Pennsylvania – have 1,023 and 465 staff, respectively.

The annual salary for rank-and-file state legislators ($78,314) is the fourth-highest in the country, trailing only California, Michigan and New York. However, the total cost to taxpayers for each legislator includes much more than salary. Perks and benefits include: Health, dental, vision and prescription drug coverage valued at more than $16,000; a pension that is among the most generous in America; lifetime post-retirement health care; and tax-free per diem payments of $163 per day when lawmakers are attending legislative committee meetings or in session.

The combination of lucrative compensation and benefits with an absence of term limits has created a culture of political entitlement and corruption in Harrisburg. From the 2005 pay raise to the conviction of former state Sen. Vince Fumo to the ongoing “Bonusgate” investigation, the list of scandals is long indeed.

The Department of Justice gives Pennsylvania an “F” for its limited disclosure of legislators’ assets, holdings and related information. A December 2008 USA Today analysis of Department of Justice statistics ranks Pennsylvania tied with Florida as the 11th most corrupt state in the union (with 4.5 public officials convicted for every 100,000 residents).

While the cost of the General Assembly has skyrocketed, Pennsylvania’s economy has remained stagnant. From 1991-2009, the Keystone State ranked: 43rd in job growth, 48th in personal income growth and 47th in population growth. In 1977, with a part-time Legislature, the commonwealth had the 22nd heaviest tax burden; today, Pennsylvania ranks 11th in state and local tax burden per capita and 45th in economic freedom.

There is a direct link between our full-time Legislature and our economy. A Commonwealth Foundation analysis shows a strong connection between legislative professionalization and higher spending per capita, a higher tax burden and less economic freedom. Specifically, each increase in the level of professionalization results in an estimated $441 increase in spending per person, and a 0.4 percent increase in taxes as a percentage of income. 

In contrast, consider Texas.

The Lone Star State has twice the population of Pennsylvania and is four times the size geographically. Yet, the Texas Legislature meets once every two years for 140 days to produce a biennial budget.

When Texas lawmakers need to deal with emergency situations or revise their budget, they return for a limited, special session. During its 2007 session, Texas’ legislature passed 1,672 bills, while Pennsylvania’s full-time General Assembly passed less than one-fifth that number.

Over the past two years, Texas has created more jobs than Pennsylvania and the 48 other states combined.

With a part-time legislature, lawmakers could be doctors, farmers and small-business owners who come to Harrisburg for a few weeks each year to make laws, and then go home to live and work under the laws they created.

If this were the reality, only the most pressing issues would be addressed, leaving greater freedom for the commonwealth to prosper.

There is convincing evidence that restoring the General Assembly to part-time, citizen Legislature would result in lower taxes, more-efficient government and less corruption.



Nathan Benefield is director of policy research for the Commonwealth Foundation (CommonwealthFoundation.org), an independent, nonprofit public policy research and educational institute based in Harrisburg.