Transcript Session 11 - Advocacy and Influence at the State Level

Advocacy and Influence at the State
Level
Tips on Navigating the PA General Assembly
Presented by
Jamie Buchenauer, Office of Public Information, PHEAA
PA General Assembly: Basic Facts
• Two Houses – Senate and House of
Representatives
• 253 members – 203 House members, 50
Senators
• 4 caucuses – House Republicans and
Democrats, Senate Republicans and
Democrats
• Each of the General Assembly Caucuses
operate independently.
Currently. . .until the election on
November 6th
• The Republicans control (have the
majority) in the House of Representatives
and the Senate.
– House – 109 (R) and 91 (D) – 3 vacancies
– Senate – 29 (R) and 20 (D) – 1 vacancy
• House members are up for re-election
every two years.
• Senate members are up for re-election
every 4 years – ½ the Senate members
are up for election every two years.
November 6th Elections
• 25 open seats in the House (due to
retirement running for other offices etc.)
• 4 open seats in the Senate.
• 3 members of the House running for two
offices:
– Rep. John Maher (R-Allegheny), State House & Auditor
General
– Rep. Eugene DePasquale (D-York), State House & Auditor
General
– Rep. Matt Smith (D-Allegheny), State House & State Senate
Re-apportionment
• Every 10 years the Congressional
districts, House and Senate districts are
re-drawn.
• 1990, 2000, 2010
• 2010 reapportionment plan started 2012 – 2nd final plan adopted.
• Party in control of the House and
Senate control the drawing of the maps.
Legislative Sessions
• Two years in length
• Introduced bill has two years to be
enacted (passed by each chamber,
signed by the Governor).
• At the end of the two years – session
ends and all bills have to be reintroduced in the new session.
• Sine die sessions.
Legislative Process
• How a bill becomes a law.
– Passed by committee, chamber and then sent
to the other chamber, etc.
• How a bill becomes a law in Harrisburg.
– Amendment process very important.
– Rules
– Voting
• Committees - (Rules and Appropriations) –
instrumental to bills being enacted.
Committee Structure
• Standing Committees
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Senate has 22 standing committees
House has 28 standing committees.
First step in getting an issue heard.
Majority and minority chairman of each
committee.
• Most bills will then have to go to the
Appropriations Committees or the Rules
Committee.
Who to contact in the PA General
Assembly. . .
• Your Representative or Senator
• Depending on the issue
– Bill sponsor
– Committee chairmen
– Members of Leadership
– Staff in the House or the Senate
• Committee Staff
• Leadership Staff
Senate Leadership
Senate Republican Leadership:
President Pro Tempore: Joe Scarnati (Jefferson)
Leader: Dominic Pileggi (Delaware)
Appropriations Chairman: Jake Corman (Centre)
Whip: Pat Browne (Lehigh)
Caucus Chair: Mike Waugh (York)
Caucus Secretary: Bob Robbins (Mercer)
Caucus Administrator: John Gordner (Columbia)
Policy Chair: Edwin Erickson (Delaware)
Senate Democratic Leadership:
Leader: Jay Costa (Allegheny)
Appropriations Chairman: Vince Hughes (Philadelphia)
Whip: Anthony H. Williams (Philadelphia)
Caucus Chair: Richard Kasunic (Fayette)
Caucus Secretary: Christine Tartaglione (Philadelphia)
Caucus Administrator: Wayne Fontana (Allegheny)
Policy Chair: Lisa Boscola (Northampton)
House Leadership
House Republican Leadership:
Speaker: Sam Smith (R-Jefferson)
Leader: Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny)
Appropriations Chairman: Bill Adolph (R-Delaware)
Whip: Stan Saylor (R-York)
Caucus Chair: Sandra Major (R-Susquehanna)
Caucus Secretary: Mike Vereb (R-Montgomery)
Caucus Administrator: Dick Stevenson (R-Mercer)
Policy Chair: Dave Reed (R-Indiana)
House Democratic Leadership:
Leader: Frank Dermody (Allegheny)
Appropriations Chairman: Joe Markosek (Allegheny)
Whip: Mike Hanna (Clinton)
Caucus Chair: Dan Frankel (Allegheny)
Caucus Secretary: Jennifer Mann (Lehigh)
Caucus Administrator: Ron Buxton (Dauphin)
Policy Chair: Mike Sturla (Lancaster)
How to make your voice heard on
important issues. . .
Visit members
Write members
Call members
Logistics – the State Capitol or the
District?
• Preferable – visit your members in their
district offices.
– Know you are a constituent.
– While they will still be busy – they don’t
have all the distractions of Harrisburg.
• Tips for the visit –
– Call ahead and make an appointment
– Be prepared
Tips for a Visit to Harrisburg
• Call ahead
• Be flexible
• Committee meetings and press
conferences are for the public, feel free
to attend.
• The layout of the Capitol is not user
friendly. The E floor contains offices in
the 500.
• Enjoy the building.
Where to find information about the General Assembly
– www.legis.pa.state.us
Researching Bills, Regulations and
Laws
• General Assembly website has become
user friendly in the past few years.
• www.legis.state.pa.us
– Listing of all bills from this legislative
session and past legislative sessions.
– Listing of all the Act (legislation) enacted
into law by year.
– Link to regulations, promulgated by
Agencies.
Researching Bills
Researching Acts
If you know the year of the act. . .
Number of Bills vs. Number of Acts
Legislative Session Number of HB
Number of SB
Percentage of Bills
that became Acts
Number of Acts
2001-2002
3018
1595
353
8%
2003-2004
3012
1280
306
7%
2005-2006
3088
1387
285
6%
2007-2008
2843
1618
213
5%
2009-2010
2788
1499
181
4%
2011-2012
2711
1607
277
6%
Questions?
Jamie Buchenauer
717-720-7670
[email protected]