Pa. new legislators convene, then take 2 weeks off

HARRISBURG - Pennsylvania's legislators returned to the Capitol on Tuesday, placed their hands on their Bibles, and were sworn in. They took a few votes, celebrated a bit, and then left for a two-week hiatus.

Before packing up, however, members of the House took an important vote to help restore integrity to the chamber, while their newly elected leaders stood on the dais of the packed hall and pledged their commitment to restoring civility to political discourse under the dome.

There were promises of fiscal responsibility as well.

Such was Day One of the Pennsylvania General Assembly 2011-12 session.

In the House, 21 Republican and eight Democratic freshmen took office while Jefferson County Republican Sam Smith - who had held the post of minority leader last session - was unanimously elected speaker.

In the Senate, 25 members elected this fall - including three new Democrats - were sworn in. Sen. Joe Scarnati (R., Jefferson) was voted in for a third term as president pro tempore.

In two weeks, when Gov.-elect Tom Corbett takes office Jan. 18, Republicans will control both the executive and legislative branches as well as the legislative agenda in Harrisburg for the first time in nearly a decade.

The primary assignment ahead of them: find a way to plug the $4 billion to $5 billion deficit projected for next year.

Working the halls Tuesday was a small army of lobbyists and local elected officials who depend on help from Harrisburg, among them Mayor Nutter.

"My job and responsibility is to communicate what the concerns of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia region are," Nutter said.

Nutter said he was there also to show support for Rep. Pamela DeLissio, a Democrat, who replaced retiring Rep. Kathy Manderino, in the 194th District, which includes Wynnefield and West Philadelphia and the mayor's own home.

Smith, who accepted the speaker's gavel from his father, retired House Rep. Eugene Smith, and other leaders vowed to usher in a new spirit of civility in the Capitol.

Smith advised new members to "keep your feet on the ground and be mindful of why you wanted to be here and why the voters elected you."

New House Majority Leader Mike Turzai (R., Allegheny) said he hoped Republicans and Democrats would seek "common ground" to restore fiscal stability and be more responsible about how taxpayer money is spent.

"We don't get to spend it on festivals anymore," said Turzai, a reference to the $1 million allocated last year by then-Appropriations Committee Chairman Rep. Dwight Evans (D., Phila.) for a jazz festival in his district.

The only piece of business conducted in the House was passage of House Resolution 1, which makes what leaders describe as important internal rule changes - not the least of which is spelling out the mandate not to engage in campaign work on legislative time.

It was exactly that activity that led to the indictments of two dozen people - including House members and their staffs - in the so-called Bonusgate investigation initiated by Attorney General Corbett.

Activist Gene Stilp, who helped win the repeal of the controversial legislative pay raise of 2005, praised the move, but he said changes had come too slowly.

"Five-and-a-half years after the pay raise and we still need reform," he said. "We don't need baby steps, we need giant steps."

Some new members said they were looking forward to addressing "the people's business" - even as they took a two-week break after a day's work.

"With swearing-in day behind us, the hard work of governing begins," said incoming Rep. Todd Stephens (R., Montgomery).

Well, come Jan. 24, anyway, which marks the first full week of legislative work.

Newly elected Rep. Margo Davidson (D., Delaware), a businesswoman who founded two Philadelphia nonprofit groups - one that helps children of parents with substance-abuse issues and the other that encourages African American women entrepreneurs - brought 150 supporters with her to Harrisburg.

"I was in awe of the majesty of the hall and humbled by the great responsibility that lies ahead of me," said Davidson, who won the seat long held by Rep. Mario Civera, who retired last year.

Davidson is the first Democrat, first woman, and first African American to represent the Upper Darby district.

House leaders continue their work tomorrow when they meet to discuss instituting a 1 percent salary contribution by members to their health-care plan, abolishing car leases, and requiring members who put in for per-diem allowances to prove they spent the night on business in Harrisburg or elsewhere.