Join the Fix Harrisburg Campaign

Fair Districts PA and the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania invite organizations and advocacy groups to join the Fix Harrisburg Campaign.

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY "FIX HARRISBURG"?

Current legislative rules allow a few partisan gatekeepers complete say about what bills get a vote. Experience and research have made it clear that unfair legislative rules slam the door on bipartisan solutions. Those rules are not in law or the PA constitution. They're drafted by leaders behind closed doors. With their first vote on the first day of session, legislators give away their right to represent us.  

We experience that with efforts on redistricting reform, but we've all seen legislative rules block bipartisan legislation addressing a wide array of critical issues such as broadband access, childhood lead exposure, equitable school funding, gift ban, campaign finance reforms, property tax reform and more.

We're asking legislators and their leaders to support procedural rules that guarantee bipartisan solutions get a vote. Rules should

  • not allow a few partisan gatekeepers (committee chairs and majority leaders) complete say over what bills are given a vote.
  • ensure legislators from all parts of the state and across the political spectrum have a meaningful role in deciding what bills are enacted.
  • provide an avenue for bills with strong bipartisan support to be guaranteed a vote in committee, and if voted out of committee be guaranteed a vote on the chamber floor.
  • ensure that If bills pass in one chamber with bipartisan support, the other chamber will respect that work with a corresponding vote.

We know much more work is needed but this campaign is a start.

WHY JOIN THE CAMPAIGN?

Less than 1 in 5 of bills introduced ever emerges from committee. Less than 7 percent of bills make it to the governor's desk. One partisan gatekeeper, elected by a tiny percent of PA voters, can block reforms for years. Until that changes, the good solutions introduced by supportive legislators languish in committee, or emerge from one chamber to be blocked in the other.

Unless we join our voices to demand a more accountable legislature that works for ALL of us, PA will continue sliding backward, despite broad public support for needed changes. We've seen how legislative leaders ignore strong advocacy efforts from individual issue groups. At some point, they can't ignore ALL of us. Together we can demand attention to a wide range of solutions AND better rules to ensure those solutions get a vote.

WAYS TO SUPPORT THE EFFORT:

Involvement will depend on your own organizational capacity. Here are some ideas for ways to engage:

  1. Educate your members about the impact of legislative rules on your own advocacy efforts & encourage conversation with legislators about the need for better rules. Fair Districts PA speakers are available to speak, in person or remotely. Request one here.
  2. Share Fix Harrisburg messaging where possible and use the #FixHarrisburg #BipartisanSolutions hashtags when you urge support for your own bipartisan solutions.
  3. Encourage member participation in Fix Harrisburg advocacy and public information efforts.
  4. Call attention to the need for better legislative rules when you share information about your own legislative efforts and challenges.
  5. Provide your feedback and strategic insights in periodic strategy meetings.

QUESTIONS?
Contact info@fairdistrictspa.com. A member of our Fix Harrisburg team will be in touch soon.

Links:

www.fixharrisburg.com
Fix Harrisburg petition
FIx Harrisburg introduction pdf
Fix Harrisburg background pdf

Organized by:
www.fairdistrictspa.com
www.palwv.org/

Sponsored by
Fdpa_logo_website_green_bg_2x
Fair Districts PA
Harrisburg, PA