In the two years of the Pennsylvania Legislature’s most recent session, most lawmakers made at least $200,000 in salary for about 100 voting days.

As noted in the Dec. 28 edition of the Butler Eagle, it wasn’t like those voting days produced stellar results. A Spotlight PA story broke down the numbers.

“All told, the state House, Senate and Gov. Josh Shapiro enacted 217 laws in the 2023-24 session,” the story read. “A Spotlight PA review of legislative productivity over the past three decades showed it wasn’t the fewest in that time, but it was among them. Only the sessions in 1999-2000, 2007-08, and 2009-10 saw fewer laws enacted.”

All this while being the third highest paid state General Assembly in the U.S.

House Majority Leader Matt Bradford, D-Montgomery, defended what legislators accomplished. And there is going to be an increase in K-12 funding next year, along with other important initiatives.

But in 2023, the first year of the session, lawmakers were months late passing a budget, leading to Shapiro signing half the year’s bills over the course of two days in December.

If someone were running a business and their employees acted that way, they’d find new employees. But because both chambers are divided, politicians can blame their opponents for being too partisan.

If the state were serious about saving money, tying lawmaker’s salary to basic performance goals — including more than one day a week of work, on average — might be a good place to start.

— JK