Emboldened by their success last year in persuading voters to narrowly approve limits on a governor’s powers during emergencies, House and Senate Republicans have introduced a number of potential amendments.
FILE - A cyclist rides past the Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa., on March 22, 2021. HARRISBURG — Republican state lawmakers may soon decide which among the scores of potential amendments to the Pennsylvania Constitution will have any shot of making it to a voter referendum — a tactic that can get politically divisive policies around Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s much-used veto pen.
A bill introduced by Sen. Dave Argall, R-Schuylkill, to amend the constitution so that gubernatorial candidates could choose their own running mates passed the Senate in April 2021. Democrats argue that the Republican tactic of making law by amending the constitution undermines democracy by cutting out the executive branch and nearly half the General Assembly.