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On Jan. 3, volunteers of Fair Districts, Fix Harrisburg campaigns braved the inclement weather to gather on the Capitol steps in Harrisburg.
Understanding threats to democracy, they were there to stress to the reelected and newly elected state legislators meeting for the first time to vote no on procedural rules that obstruct and sabotage governance through representative democracy.
Unknowingly to many, the procedural rules traditionally agreed upon -- without legislators even provided time to read them -- give sole power to committee chairs and party leaders to determine and choose which proposed legislation gets moved out of committee for a vote, regardless of whether the legislation has bipartisan or majority support.
As a result, the system is broken; evidenced by years of failure to pass meaningful legislation on important issues of childhood lead exposure, health care safety/staffing, minimum wage increases, open primaries and property tax reform, to name a few.
Among the presenters on the Capitol steps was a veteran who decried the desecration of the sacred character representative of our country many in the military served and died for.
We, at the home fronts, must do our part.
As of this writing (Jan. 9), Pennsylvania House rules have not been voted on.
Citizens can act by calling your state legislator and tell them to vote no on any procedural rule that doesn't allow 24 hours for reviewing and doesn't provide for all proposed legislation with bipartisan or majority support to be voted on.
Legislators know citizens are the bedrock of democracy.
Etta Albright
Cresson