Although state Sen. David G. Argall enthusiastically backs reducing the size of the Pennsylvania Legislature, Schuylkill County's three state representatives fear it could reduce the area's influence and hurt constituent service, although they have not fully ruled it out.
"I want to make absolutely sure that rural areas of Pennsylvania receive adequate representation," state Rep. Mike Tobash, R-125, said of the proposal to reduce the size of the House to 153 members from 203. "We want to make sure the voice of the people in those areas is heard."
However, Argall, R-29, who served 25 years in the state House before winning his Senate seat in 2009, said any reduction in size would affect urban areas as much as rural ones.
"When you reduce the size, everyone is reduced proportionately," he said. "I think 153 is a realistic size (for the House)."
The Pennsylvania Legislature is one of the nation's largest, with 203 state representatives and 50 state senators. The legislation currently under consideration, proposed by Speaker of the House Sam Smith, R-Jefferson, would reduce the size of only the House.
However, the size was set by the 1874 Constitution, and changing the size of the Legislature requires an amendment to the state Constitution, which means the same bill must be debated and passed in two consecutive sessions and subsequently approved by referendum vote of the people of Pennsylvania.
State Rep. Neal P. Goodman, D-123, said he will not completely rule out voting for such a measure, but expressed skepticism that a plan could be crafted fairly enough to win his support.
"I'm going into it open-mindedly," he said. "It's going to remove 50 seats. It never says where the 50 seats are going to come from. Every proposal I've seen significantly reduces the number of rural members."
Goodman fears the reductions could cut Schuylkill County's state House delegation to one from three.
"How does that help my area?" he asked. "Do we want to go back to the old days ... when the state was run by Philadelphia and Pittsburgh?"
Furthermore, Goodman said people are more concerned with the Legislature's cost than its size.
"No one comes to me and says, 'I want to see the Legislature downsized,' " he said.
That is the opposite of what Argall says he hears at his town hall meetings.
"Every time the issue comes up ... there is very strong support in the audience to adopt that plan," he said.
Even though he once worked as an aide to Argall and represents his old district, state Rep. Jerry Knowles, R-124, is not as enthusiastic as his former boss about cutting the Legislature's size, although he did vote to move Smith's bill out of committee.
"I had some reservations about the impact it would have on constituent services and the impact it would have on rural Pennsylvania," Knowles said. "It at least deserves to reach the floor. It is worth seriously considering."
The main reason Knowles likes the proposal is the money it would save.
"It would certainly reduce the costs of government," he said. "I'm always willing to look at anything that will save money in government."
Money is what Goodman thinks is more important to his constituents than size. He said the Legislature has reduced its expenses by $85 million since 2005.
"What concerns them is the cost," he said.
Tobash thinks a smaller Legislature can mean lower costs.
"It's absolutely (about) reducing costs. That's where the rubber meets the road," he said.
However, like Goodman and Knowles, Tobash wants to make sure Schuylkill County's voice is heard in Harrisburg.
"Let's make sure that we have an effective system and process," he said.
Argall said constituent service should not suffer, and pointed to the responses people receive from his office when they seek help.
"We are just as active in helping constituents solve problems in the Senate as I was in the House," he said.
To Goodman, however, the larger size of the House means he can see and help more people, and he believes his constituents think they same way.
"They like the idea that they can have a local representative within a short distance of their home," he said.