PA Legislature Meets for First-- & Potentially Only-- Session in January
HARRISBURG, PA (WENY) -- Pennsylvania's Constitution requires the state legislature to meet the first Tuesday of every January.
Most senators and a limited number of representatives filed into the capitol building today. Gavels dropped around noon in both chambers, with action all wrapped up by 1pm.
The House held a non-voting session and filed committee chair updates. The Senate voted to keep Senator Kim Ward as President Pro Tempore.
Neither chamber will be back until February... a forced absence for House members.
In their chamber, repairs to a water leak on the ceiling above the front dais will start January 8, and will be completed in mid March. The House will not meet for session during that time, expect for February 6th for the Governor's budget address.
The decision by democrat House leadership to not schedule session dates for two and a half months has led to controversy. Some elected officials, like Representative Brad Roae (R, District 6), say the House could still meet in other areas of the capitol.
"It is unfortunate that we're not going to be in session for 3 months," said Roae. "We're not really doing anything legislatively for tax payers if we're not here."
Others see the break as a chance to better connect with communities.
"If you aren't listening to your community, how can you effectively represent them?" said Representative Bob Merski (D, District 2), "So you have to be in your community to represent them, and then you take that voice back to Harrisburg."
Roae also linked the break in session to the fact that House Democrats and Republicans both sit at 101 members- just like the start of last year- because Representative John Galloway (D) was elected to the Pennsylvania district court in 2023. Until a special election is held, the House sits at a tie.
House Democrat leadership has pointed out that in the same time frame, the Senate only has four session days scheduled.