City Cast Pittsburgh host Megan Harris contributed.
With the June 30 state budget deadline looming, Pennsylvania’s state legislature is approaching its busiest time of year.
The state budget doesn’t mark the end of their work, though — our General Assembly is expected to work year-round (mostly), as Pennsylvania is one of just 10 U.S. states that employs a full-time legislature.
What Does ‘Full-Time’ Mean?
Our state legislators — 253 of them, across the state House and Senate — meet in Harrisburg nearly every month of the year.
That said, the General Assembly may go on weeks-long recesses, and actual voting only occurs a few times a month — totaling around 50 or so session days per year in recent years, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. Some legislative committees meet on non-voting days, though, and legislators may spend other time meeting with constituents or attending events back in their districts.
Why Meet Year-Round?
That’s how it’s written in the state constitution: “The General Assembly shall be a continuing body during the term for which its Representatives are elected.”
It hasn’t always been like that, though. According to Spotlight PA, that language was set in the 1960s. Immediately before that, the legislature only met to handle the budget during even-numbered years, and to do other lawmaking in odd years. And between 1873 and 1959, the General Assembly met just once every two years for a three-month session.
How Are We Different?
Every state’s legislature is structured differently, but Pennsylvania still stands out, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Most state legislatures are what the NCSL considers “gray” — bodies where, on average, being a lawmaker means a lower salary that might equate to roughly 74% of the time one might spend at a normal full-time job, and many lawmakers may not rely solely on the government for income.
Pennsylvania, however, falls into the NCSL’s “green” category. We’re one of four states where being a legislator equates to about 84% of a typical full-time job, there are more legislative staffers, and lawmakers have higher salaries. Legislators here get paid at least $106,000 annually. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median household income in PA in 2022 was just $71,798.
