HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania state representatives took a step Tuesday toward trimming dozens of members from the Legislature, the latest move in a campaign to amend the state constitution.

The House voted 139-56 to cut their own ranks from 203 to 151, and voted 146-49 on a companion measure to reduce the Senate from 50 to 37.

To become law, the proposal has to pass the Senate by the end of 2016 and get through both chambers again by December 2018. After that, voters would get the final say in a statewide referendum. The governor has no formal role.

Supporters said there is public support for a smaller General Assembly.

If enacted, the change would add about 22,000 people to a typical state House district, now at about 62,000. Opponents argued that will make it more difficult for lawmakers to respond to individual constituents, particularly in more sparsely populated, rural areas.

The House has considered similar bills for the past two sessions, and so far nothing has made it out of both the House and the Senate.

Pennsylvania has the largest full-time legislature in the country. The only larger body is in New Hampshire, which has 424 part-time legislators.