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2022 Pennsylvania legislative session
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← 2021
2023 →
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| 2022 Pennsylvania legislative session |
|---|
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| General information |
| Session start: January 4, 2022 Session end: November 30, 2022 |
| Leadership |
| Senate President John Fetterman (D) House Speaker |
| Elections |
| Next Election: November 8, 2022 Last Election: November 3, 2020 |
| Previous legislative sessions |
| 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 |
| Other 2022 legislative sessions |
In 2022, the Pennsylvania State Legislature was scheduled to convene on January 4, 2022 and adjourn on November 30, 2022.
The legislators serving in this session took office following the 2020 elections. Republicans won a 28-20 majority in the Senate and a 112-89 majority in the House. Democrats controlled the governorship, creating a divided government. At the start of the 2022 session, Pennsylvania was one of 26 state legislatures where neither party had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers.
Leadership in 2022
Pennsylvania State Senate
- Senate president: John Fetterman (D)
- Majority leader: Kim Ward (R)
- Minority leader: Jay Costa (D)
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
- Speaker of the House: Bryan Cutler (R)
- Majority leader: Kerry Benninghoff (R)
- Minority leader: Joanna McClinton (D)
Partisan control in 2022
- See also: State government trifectas
Pennsylvania was one of 13 divided governments at the start of 2022 legislative sessions. A state government trifecta occurs when one political party holds the governor's office, a majority in the state Senate, and a majority in the state House. For more information about state government trifectas, click here.
Pennsylvania was also one of 26 state legislatures where neither party had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers. Veto overrides occur when a legislature votes to reverse a veto issued by an executive such as a governor or the president. If one party has a majority in a state legislature that is large enough to override a gubernatorial veto without any votes from members of the minority party, it is called a veto-proof majority or, sometimes, a supermajority. To read more about veto-proof supermajorities in state legislatures, click here.
The following tables show the partisan breakdown of the Pennsylvania State Legislature in the 2022 legislative session.
Pennsylvania State Senate
| Party | As of January 2022 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 20 | |
| Republican Party | 28 | |
| Independent | 1 | |
| Vacancies | 1 | |
| Total | 50 | |
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
| Party | As of January 2022 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 89 | |
| Republican Party | 112 | |
| Vacancies | 2 | |
| Total | 203 | |
Regular session
The list below shows up to 25 pieces of legislation in the legislative session that most recently passed both chambers of the legislature, were signed by the governor, or were approved by the legislature in a veto override. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation met these criteria. This information is provided by BillTrack50.
Standing legislative committees
A standing committee of a state legislature is a committee that exists on a more-or-less permanent basis, from legislative session to session, that considers and refines legislative bills that fall under the committee's subject matter.
At the beginning of the 2022 legislative session, there were 51 standing committees in Pennsylvania's state government, including one joint legislative committee, 22 state Senate committees, and 28 state House committees.
Joint legislative committees
- Capitol Preservation Committee
Senate committees
- Aging & Youth Committee
- Banking & Insurance Committee
- Communications & Technology Committee
- Community, Economic & Recreational Development Committee
- Consumer Protection & Professional Licensure Committee
- Health & Human Services Committee
- Intergovernmental Operations Committee
- Law & Justice Committee
- Rules & Executive Nominations Committee
- Senate Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee
- Senate Appropriations Committee
- Senate Education Committee
- Senate Environmental Resources & Energy Committee
- Senate Finance Committee
- Senate Game & Fisheries Committee
- Senate Judiciary Committee
- Senate Labor & Industry Committee
- Senate Local Government Committee
- Senate State Government Committee
- Senate Transportation Committee
- Senate Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparedness Committee
- Urban Affairs & Housing Committee
House committees
- Aging & Older Adult Services Committee
- Children & Youth Committee
- Commerce Committee
- Committee On Committees
- Committee On Ethics
- Consumer Affairs Committee
- Gaming Oversight Committee
- Government Oversight Committee
- Health Committee
- House Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee
- House Appropriations Committee
- House Education Committee
- House Environmental Resources & Energy Committee
- House Finance Committee
- House Game & Fisheries Committee
- House Judiciary Committee
- House Labor & Industry Committee
- House Local Government Committee
- House State Government Committee
- House Transportation Committee
- House Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparedness Committee
- Human Services Committee
- Insurance Committee
- Liquor Control Committee
- Professional Licensure Committee
- Rules Committee
- Tourism & Recreational Development Committee
- Urban Affairs Committee
Legislatively referred constitutional amendments
In every state but Delaware, voter approval is required to enact a constitutional amendment. In each state, the legislature has a process for referring constitutional amendments before voters. In 18 states, initiated constitutional amendments can be put on the ballot through a signature petition drive. There are also many other types of statewide measures.
The methods by which the Pennsylvania Constitution can be amended:
The Pennsylvania Constitution provides for one mechanism for amending the state's constitution—a legislative process. However, the state constitution does not mention a constitutional convention process, and the legislature has called constitutional conventions in the past. Pennsylvania requires a simple majority vote (50% plus 1) for voters to approve constitutional amendments.
Initiative
- See also: Initiated constitutional amendment
In Pennsylvania, citizens do not have the power to initiate ballot measures at the state level.
Legislature
According to Article XI, the state Legislature can refer constitutional amendments to the ballot for voters to decide. A simple majority vote is required during two successive legislative sessions for the Pennsylvania State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 102 votes in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and 26 votes in the Pennsylvania State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.
When the Legislature finds that a "major emergency threatens or is about to threaten the Commonwealth," a constitutional amendment can be referred to the ballot with a two-thirds vote during one legislative session.
Historical context: In Pennsylvania, voters last rejected a ballot measure, titled Question 2, in 1993. Question 2 was a bond measure that would have authorized $25 million in bonds to compensate service members involved in the Persian Gulf Conflict. The last time that a constitutional amendment was rejected in 1989. The defeated constitutional amendment related to real estate tax rates and personal income tax rates.
Between 1995 and 2021, the following occurred:
- A total of 22 measures appeared on statewide ballots.
- The number of measures appearing on statewide ballots ranged from zero to four.
- Voters approved 100 percent (12 of 12) of statewide ballot measures in even-numbered years.
| Legislatively referred constitutional amendments, 1995-2021 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total number | Approved | Percent approved | Defeated | Percent defeated | Odd-year average | Odd-year median | Odd-year minimum | Odd-year maximum | |
| 22 | 22 | 100.0% | 0 | 0.00% | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 4 | |
Historical partisan control
The table below depicts the historical trifecta status of Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania Party Control: 1992-2025
One year of a Democratic trifecta • Twelve years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Senate | R | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | _ |
Historical Senate control
Between 1992 and 2020, partisan control of the Pennsylvania State Senate shifted in favor of the Republican Party. The 1992 elections resulted in a split 25-25 balance. Republicans gained a majority in 1994 and held it through the 2020 elections. The table below shows the partisan history of the Pennsylvania State Senate following every general election from 1992 to 2020. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.
Pennsylvania State Senate election results: 1992-2020
| Year | '92 | '94 | '96 | '98 | '00 | '02 | '04 | '06 | '08 | '10 | '12 | '14 | '16 | '18 | '20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democrats | 25 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 23 | 20 | 16 | 21 | 21 |
| Republicans | 25 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 27 | 30 | 34 | 29 | 29 |
Between 1992 and 2020, the elections where Republicans picked up the most state Senate seats occurred in 1994 and 2016. Republicans gained four seats in each of those elections. The 1994 elections moved the chamber from a split balance to a Republican majority. Democrats' largest gains occurred in the 2018 elections, when they picked up five seats and reduced the Republican majority to 29-21.
Between 2010 and 2016, Republicans increased their majority from a 10-seat advantage after 2010 to an 18-seat advantage after 2016. Republicans were reduced to an 8-seat advantage after the 2018 election. That majority didn't change in 2020.
Historical House control
Between 1992 and 2020, partisan control of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives fluctuated between the Democratic and Republican parties. After the 1992 elections, Democrats held a 105-98 majority. Since that year, control of the chamber changed three times. House Republicans had a 111-92 majority after the 2020 elections. The table below shows the partisan history of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives following every general election from 1992 to 2020. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.
Pennsylvania House of Representatives election results: 1992-2020
| Year | '92 | '94 | '96 | '98 | '00 | '02 | '04 | '06 | '08 | '10 | '12 | '14 | '16 | '18 | '20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democrats | 105 | 101 | 99 | 100 | 99 | 94 | 93 | 102 | 104 | 91 | 93 | 84 | 82 | 93 | 92 |
| Republicans | 98 | 102 | 104 | 103 | 104 | 109 | 110 | 101 | 99 | 112 | 110 | 119 | 121 | 110 | 111 |
Republicans picked up four seats and gained control of the chamber in 1994. That Republican majority held until the 2006 elections, when Democrats gained nine seats. The chamber returned to a Republican majority in 2010 after Republicans picked up 13 seats.
Between 2010 and 2016, Republicans expanded their majorities from 112-91 in 2010 to 121-82 in 2016 but lost some of those gains resulting in a 110-93 majority after the 2018 elections. Democrats reduced the Republican majority by two seats in 2012. Republicans gained nine seats and two seats in 2014 and 2016, respectively. In the 2018 elections, Democrats picked up 11 seats but did not win control of the chamber. Republicans picked up one seat in the 2020 elections.
See also
| Elections | Pennsylvania State Government | State Legislatures | State Politics |
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External links
Footnotes
