HARRISBURG – The Senate Appropriations Committee recently approved bipartisan legislation with a vote of 21 to 1 to reform the way the lieutenant governor is elected in Pennsylvania.
Senate Bill 133 amends the state’s constitution to permit candidates for governor to choose their lieutenant governor candidate after the primary election – a process that mirrors how presidential candidates currently select their vice presidential running mates.
“In the past, we have seen a leadership team separate into two warring factions that spent weeks not talking to one another” said Senator David G. Argall (R-Schuylkill/Berks), the primary sponsor of the bill. “Pennsylvania’s residents deserve to have their two top leaders of the executive branch function as a team in order to put the best interests of Pennsylvanians first rather than jeopardizing this mission by a lack of unity and shared vision.”
The bill now moves back to the floor of the Senate. If approved by the Senate and the House of Representatives, it will again be voted on by both chambers during the 2021-2022 Legislative Session. In Pennsylvania, constitutional amendments like Senate Bill 133 must be approved during two consecutive sessions of the General Assembly before they are finally approved by the voters of the Commonwealth through a referendum vote.
Contact: Joshua J. Paul (Argall)
717.787.2637