Renegade Pa. House members seek a voting session

HARRISBURG - With no official presiding officer and the microphones shut off, one-third of the members of the Pennsylvania House took their seats on the chamber floor at 1 p.m. Monday in a symbolic statement to leaders to reconvene the session.

They said a prayer, recited the Pledge of Allegiance. They stood and identified themselves - 68 Republican and Democratic members. And, after 20 minutes, they adjourned.

"We were sending a message to leadership and the public who elected us to serve to the end of November, that there's about 20 bills that we worked long and hard for over two years and just have to concur on [and] send to the governor," said Rep. Anthony M. DeLuca (D., Allegheny), who led the renegade session. "It makes no sense for leadership not to call us back to session."

House Speaker Keith R. McCall (D., Carbon) abruptly announced Friday that he was canceling the five remaining voting days scheduled this month, thus killing a wide range of largely noncontroversial measures that appeared destined to become law, as well as a public-pension bill that did face opposition.

McCall left town without saying why he had canceled the session.

House Majority Leader Todd Eachus (D., Luzerne) said leadership believed that the Senate version of the pension bill was unconstitutional, and that none of the other bills slated for votes "rose to the level of importance" of the pension measure.

The pension bill was aimed at addressing skyrocketing retirement costs for state employees and public schoolteachers. The Senate version of the pension bill also contained an amendment establishing an independent fiscal office that would act as a watchdog over legislative and executive-branch spending.

The calls by many members to return went unheeded by the leadership on Monday. Eachus, who lost his bid for reelection last week, said through a spokesman that he had not changed his mind and that there would be no more voting days before Dec. 1, the official end of the 2009-10 legislative session.

Any bills that have not been passed and signed by the governor will have to be reintroduced and go through the legislative process from scratch when the new session begins in January, when both chambers will be under Republican control.

In a day marked by anger, if not outright revolt, by Democratic rank-and-file members against their leadership, a group of legislators held a news conference to implore leaders to bring them back to work.

One Berks County Democrat called for the ouster of Rep. Dwight Evans of Philadelphia as the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee. Thomas R. Caltagirone blamed Evans' opposition to the proposed legislative fiscal-watchdog agency for the session's cancellation.

Rep. Mark Longietti (D., Mercer), flanked by 30 fellow Democrats, told the packed news conference that it was "unacceptable" to allow the bills to die for lack of consideration.

Among them were several environmental measures, including one that would create a statewide electronics-recycling program. Other bills would help create more housing opportunities for low-income residents, the disabled, and the elderly; modernize the food-safety law; and ensure that both parents got fair treatment in child-custody hearings.

"My disappointment is so huge," said Rep. Barbara McIlvane-Smith (D., Chester), who failed to win reelection. "Is the system so broken that we can't come to the floor and pass legislation that should be concurred on?"

Caltagirone, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said he wanted Evans removed as ranking Democrat on Appropriations at party-caucus elections next week.

Caltagirone said he believed Evans was afraid that an independent fiscal office would diminish his power and limit his control of funding.

"I think he's got to go," Caltagirone said.

Johnna Pro, Evans' spokeswoman, denied the accusation that he was behind the session's cancellation and said Caltagirone was entitled to his opinion.

With the Republicans taking control of the state House next year, Evans is expected to lose considerable power on the committee.

Among those who took their seats on the House floor Monday was retiring Rep. Kathy Manderino (D., Phila.), who has worked 10 years on a bill to improve the child-custody law.

"I think we ought to be in session," said Manderino.

When told Eachus had not changed his mind late Monday, DeLuca said he was sorry to hear it.

"It doesn't make sense at all," DeLuca said. "And it's not in best interest of the public."