Bill to shrink Pa. House advances out of committee a second time Legislation that would amend Pennsylvania’s Constitution and shrink the size of the General Assembly cleared a committee vote in the state House Tuesday morning.

The Pennsylvania House State Government Committee voted to consider reducing the number of seats in the House of Representatives.

By a 14-10 vote, the committee agreed to consider HB 153, which would amend the state Constitution and reduce the number of House seats from

203 to 151.

The measure — which was first approved by the state House and Senate in the previous legislative session — now heads to the full House.

If it passes the House and Senate a second time the bill would be placed on the ballot as a statewide referendum, and voters would ultimately whether to approve the changes.

Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-12, chairs the committee and voted for the measure.

Pennsylvania's 253-member General Assembly is the largest and most expensive full-time state legislature in the country.