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Commonwealth Forum: Does Pennsylvania 

Need a Large, Full-Time Legislature?

YES
James Madison argued that representative democracy works best when leg-
islatures “refine and enlarge the public views.” This means that legislators 
from many backgrounds are chosen to bring issues of importance to govern-
ment, debate them, and then produce laws in the best interests of the citi-
zenry. Including a diverse array of voices in the legislative process ensures 
that the consequences of legislation can be weighed in an effort to preserve 
everyone’s rights and interests. Having a large, full-time legislature enables 
this to occur. Pennsylvania has to balance multiple regional, ethnic, eco-
nomic, and cultural interests. Having more legislators ensures that this 
range of views is included in policy discussions. A professionalized legisla-
ture also provides an adequate salary, enabling people from all walks of life 
to participate in government. Most people lack the wealth or a flexible sched-
ule to be able to serve in a citizen legislature where remuneration is minimal. 
Receiving the pay of a full-time job allows Pennsylvania’s legislators to ded-
icate their time to matters of importance to their communities and focus on 
constituency service back in their districts.

One final benefit of Pennsylvania’s full-time legislature is the professional 
staff who help legislators do their jobs. The Commonwealth has a number of 
legislative service agencies such as the Legislative Reference Bureau, which 
helps members draft laws, and the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee, 
which provides unbiased policy research. These resources ensure legislators’ 
independence from the executive branch and special interests because they 
have access to information through their own resources. Capitol and district 
staff also help legislators understand the needs of their constituents and help 
them when they encounter problems with state government. In sum, a full-
time, professional legislature serves the interests of Pennsylvania citizens.

NO
Pennsylvania has the largest “full-time” legislature in the country. Its 
253 members are outnumbered only by New Hampshire’s 424, where legisla-
tors receive just $200 every two-year session. Compare that to the lowest 



salary of about $87,000 for Pennsylvania’s General Assembly. Those in lead-
ership make even more, between $99,410 and $136,094 depending on the 
position. The U.S. Congress has just 535 members for an entire country, and 
other states are able to govern themselves with much smaller legislative bod-
ies without bloated salaries.

Furthermore, Pennsylvania’s legislature does not even meet all that reg-
ularly. Session days are Monday through Wednesday if they even convene 
for that long during a week, hardly a full-time job. For the fall 2018 legislative 
calendar, the House met only thirteen days, and the Senate convened just ten 
days. This is for the entirety of four months, and does not even include the 
fact that there were no session days throughout July and August. Regular 
people can’t work that often and still be considered full-time employees com-
manding high salaries and excellent benefits, so why should those who are 
elected to represent their interests?

Research shows large legislative bodies cost more, all else equal. In particu-
lar, the size of the upper chamber contributes to higher spending. Large legis-
latures also have more committees, thus overlapping duties and policy issues 
and adding to the problem of needless bureaucratic expansion. With today’s 
modern methods of communication, we don’t need so many so-called full-
time legislators. Cutting their ranks and time on the job would save the people 
of Pennsylvania millions and, more likely than not, lead to reduced govern-
ment spending and better deliberation among the body’s fewer members.

For More Information

American Legislative exchange Council (https:// www .alec .org) is a non-
profit organization of conservative state legislators and members of the 
private sector. They meet to draft model bills and distribute to legislators.

National Black Caucus of state Legislators (https:// nbcsl .org) serves and 
represents the interests of black state legislators and their constituents. It 
also works toward education and the sharing of relevant public policy 
ideas.

National Hispanic Caucus of state Legislators (https:// nhcsl .org) is a non-
profit dedicated to serving the interests of Hispanic legislators in the fifty 
U.S. states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Its mission is to 
organize its members and on behalf of the people they represent in gov-
ernment.

National Conference of state Legislatures (http:// ncsl .org) is a nonpartisan 
organization dedicated to improving state legislatures, sharing policy 
innovations, and giving the states a strong voice in the federal system.

From Pennsylvania Politics and Policy: A Commonwealth Reader, Volume 2. 
Edited by Michelle J. Atherton and J. Wesley Leckrone (Philadelphia, Temple 
University Press, 2019).




