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Senate Passes Bipartisan Bill to Reform Selection of the Lieutenant Governor

Apr 29, 2021

By a bipartisan vote of 43-4, the Senate passed legislation to amend the state constitution to change how the lieutenant governor is selected in Pennsylvania, according to Senator David G. Argall (R-Schuylkill/Berks), the prime sponsor of the bill.  This legislation would more closely align the current process of selecting the lieutenant governor with how the Vice President is selected during federal elections.

“The two top members of our executive branch should always work as a team and have a unified vision for Pennsylvania,” said Argall.  “We have seen in the past how our current system can create conflict, such as the embarrassing public rift between Governor Wolf and former Lieutenant Governor Mike Stack that saw both individuals openly admitting that they didn’t speak to each other for weeks at a time. This is unacceptable. Pennsylvania taxpayers deserve better.”

“My church wouldn’t function well with the two leaders clashing every day.  My son’s old Scout Troop didn’t operate like that.  My daughter’s soccer team couldn’t have won any games with that kind of leadership.”

This legislation was approved by bipartisan votes of 46-2 in the Senate last session and 10-1 this year in the Senate State Government Committee.  Senator Sharif Street (D-Philadelphia), the Minority Chair of the State Government Committee, has spoken in favor of Senate Bill 106 due to its ability to reduce conflict in government.

In Pennsylvania, constitutional amendments must be passed in two consecutive two-year sessions of the Legislature and be approved by voters via a ballot question.  Senate Bill 106 was passed by both chambers last session and would now need to be passed by the House and approved by voters to take effect.

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