(The Center Square) – One of the latest attempts to get a vote on a hot-button topic in Harrisburg ended with speakers talking over each other, people leaving the room as others spoke, and observations of “Cowards” and “What are you afraid of?”
The scene unfolded at the March 25 House Children & Youth Committee meeting, where a bill intended to preclude “students of the male sex” from participating in female school sports failed to be put to a vote. It was the fourth time a Democratic-run House committee has decided not to vote on the “Save Women’s Sports” bill that passed the Senate with “yes” votes from 64% of the chamber, including five Democrats.
Pennsylvania lawmakers have long acknowledged that the majority party can use various tactics to stifle the progress of a bill its leaders do not like.
On Tuesday, though, two longtime observers said the lack of action in the House on the bill illustrates a larger problem – the costly dysfunction of the state Legislature.
In terms of annual salary – putting aside any consideration of perks including per diem payments, mileage and robust health care plans – Pennsylvania lawmakers’ base pay of about $113,000 is the third-highest in the nation. And the Pennsylvania Legislature is among the most expensive overall in the nation, according to former Democratic Sen. Andrew Dinniman of Chester County.
“Despite being full-time, despite all the money, despite the large staffs, we still are not dealing with the issues,” Dinniman said of the House passing the bill around from committee to committee without a vote. “It is an example of the inability of the Legislature in those situations to focus in on the issue rather than the party.”
Eric Epstein, coordinator and founder of the watchdog organization Rock the Capitol, said passing a bill from committee to committee without a vote is a strategy built on “the collective lack of courage by politicians. That is what they were elected to do. Lead. And not run out the clock.”
Republicans have acknowledged their leadership carried out similar strategies when they controlled the chamber.
Democrats have run the chamber since early 2023. Prior to that, Republicans were in control for 12 years.
“When we were in the majority, we did similar procedural vote moves on bills,” Republican Rep. Kathy Rapp said last October, as the Democratic-run Health Committee prepared to vote to “re-refer” the bill to a different committee. “I didn’t like it then, and I certainly do not like it now.”
The bill in question passed the Republican-controlled state Senate on May 6, 2025, in a 32-18 vote. All 27 Republicans voted in favor and were joined by Democratic Sens. Lisa Boscola of Northampton County, Marty Flynn of Lackawanna County, James Malone of Lancaster County, Nick Miller of Lehigh County, and Christine Tartaglione of Philadelphia.
It subsequently arrived in the Democratic-controlled House. The party that controls the chamber also controls committee leadership and, hence, the movement of bills through a committee.
In early July of 2025, the House Education Committee voted to re-refer the bill to the Health Committee; in October the Health Committee voted to re-refer the bill to the Judiciary Committee; and in March the Judiciary Committee voted to re-refer it to the Children & Youth Committee.
It was in Children & Youth on March 25 that Republican Rep. Kate Klunk of York County, the minority chairwoman, attempted to bring the bill to a vote as a “special order of business” but was overruled by Democratic Rep. Liz Hanbidge of Montgomery County. A vote on upholding Hanbidge’s ruling started, stopped, and then was re-started – amid increasingly strident Republican objections that the meeting was not following typical procedures.
“You just can’t just bully through and ignore your set rules,” said Republican Rep. Gary Day of Lehigh County. “You people are cowards,” said Republican Rep. Scott Barger of Blair County.
As Klunk continued to question procedures, Democrats got up and left.
On Tuesday, a spokesperson for Democrats in the House declined to comment on the journey of the bill. Republican Rep. Clint Owlett of Tioga County, the Republican caucus secretary, said they would continue to try “every option” to bring the bill to a vote.
