HARRISBURG — A move to trim dozens of seats from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives has the state Senate’s preliminary approval.

The Republican-controlled Senate voted 43-6 to reduce the House’s ranks from 203 to 151. The House passed the resolution to change the Constitution last May to reduce its seats. However, the Senate hasn’t taken up a companion bill that also passed the House to cut the 50-seat Senate to 37.

To change the Constitution, both chambers must approve the measure in the next two-year legislative session, which begins in 2017, and after that it would go on the ballot to a statewide referendum.

With 253 seats, the Pennsylvania General Assembly is second in size to New Hampshire’s, and is the nation’s largest full-time Legislature.