HARRISBURG — Democrats in the state House of Representatives Monday reintroduced 89 bills and resolutions to the legislature and accused state government committee chairman Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-12th, of partisan obstructionism.

In a letter to House Speaker Mike Turzai, Democrat Rep. Frank Dermody, D-33rd, requested that Turazi not refer the bills back to the state government committee, citing recent comments by Metcalfe in public and on social media.

“I write to express my deep disappointment with the comments and behavior of House Chairman Daryl Metcalfe and to seek your help in rectifying the persistent dysfunction he is causing in our legislative process,” Dermody wrote. “To that end, I request that you exercise your discretion as Speaker and do not refer any more bills sponsored by Democrats to the State Government Committee for the remainder of the 2018 session.”

Dermody cited a recent town hall meeting in which Metcalfe said, “I don’t move anything substantive that’s Democrat legislation. As I said, I’m a Republican.”

He also cited a social media post in which Metcalfe wrote, “I block all substantive Democrat legislation sent to my committee and advance good Republican legislation!”

These sentiments, Dermody said in an interview Tuesday, are unique to Metcalfe’s committee.

“We have 82 members, and to suggest that they don’t have a voice, that their ideas don’t have merit ... people should be nervous about the state of our democracy,” he said.

Dermody, who represents Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, had yet to hear back from Turzai as of Tuesday morning.

Metcalfe argued that he’s not being obstructionist. Rather, he said, he’s being a Republican and runs his committee based on the principles and positions on which he was elected.

“We have a majority because of our Republican ideas, and we’ve been elected to govern by Republican ideas,” he said. “They’re trying to demonize me by claiming I’m the boogeyman because I’m not advancing Democrat ideas.”

Metcalfe said he believes this latest effort by Democrats is in response to his committee’s decision to alter two redistricting bills — HB 722 and HB 563 — completely changing them before Democrats could try to discharge them from his committee.

The bills would have amended the state constitution and put redistricting in the hands of an independent citizens commission. Metcalfe’s amendments to the bills replaced that commission with a group made up of state legislators, who would be controlled by the majority party.

“They tried to discharge two bills and we have frustrated their efforts” he said. “This is a very creative way on the part of the minority leader to have a mass discharge of bills from my committee.”

As to whether his is a uniquely partisan or obstructionist committee, Metcalfe said the thing that sets it apart is its high level of activity in passing bills.

“I think the (House) State Government Committee is a unique committee in that when the Republican legislators want to advance Republican legislation they move it through this committee,” he said. “My committee is one of the more active committees in the legislature.”

The reintroduced bill numbers are HB 2331 through HB 2412, and the resolutions are HR 885 through HR 893.

Turzai was not immediately available for comment Tuesday.