READING, March 2 – State. Rep. Mark Rozzi released the following statement regarding the rules he wrote during his term as speaker that the PA House then adopted yesterday:

“On March 1, the Pennsylvania House voted to adopt the “Rozzi Rules.” These are the House operating rules that I drafted during my time as speaker. I promised to govern the House independently and put an end to the partisan games that stall progress in Harrisburg, and that’s exactly what the Rozzi Rules do.

“Three key areas that my rules focus on are: revamping committees, reforming the constitutional amendment process and expanding protections against harassment and discrimination.

“House committees play a major role in what pieces of legislation receive a full House vote. Therefore, to ensure both sides have a fair chance, the minority party will have a larger presence on all standing committees. This reflects the close partisan split in the full House. Plus, no committee chairperson will have the sole ability to stop a good bill with bipartisan support from being considered.

“Next, I changed the constitutional amendment process. Sometimes, legislators use constitutional amendments to side-step the legislative process. The Rozzi Rules treat our constitution with the sacredness it deserves by ensuring it cannot be changed recklessly. Every proposed amendment must stick to one subject, have at least one public hearing, and can only appear on fall municipal or general election ballots. This ensures that more voters, including registered independents, have a say on these matters.

“Lastly, my rules create a safer work environment. Now, anyone conducting official business with an elected House member, on state House property, or attending a House-sponsored event may file complaints. Harassment and discrimination protections no longer only apply to House members and employees.

“I am immensely grateful that the House adopted my rules. I wrote these with the intention of improving our lawmaking process by minimizing instances of hyper-partisanship. Now let’s get to work and use these rules to benefit the people of Pennsylvania.”

 

Information provided to TVL by:
Amanda Mehall
House Democratic Communications Office