Legislators make 1,092 resolutions in one year
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HARRISBURG -- His face is on the penny. His name is etched on schoolhouses, stadiums and highways. He's got a holiday, for heaven's sake.
Does the Pennsylvania Legislature really need to prepare, print and pass a resolution every year recognizing Abraham Lincoln's birth?
Its sponsor has no doubt.
A Civil War enthusiast, state Rep. Harry A. Readshaw, D-Carrick, has fought to preserve monuments at Gettysburg and presides at an annual Civil War ball in the Capitol Rotunda.
"I have found out that our nation's history seems to have been misplaced," he said. "The public needs to be reminded."
Welcome to the world of "noncontroversial resolutions."
Unlike bills, resolutions don't change state law. They recognize arts and athletic groups, commemorate battles, propose new names for mountains and streams and bring attention to afflictions ranging from brain injury to lower-back pain.
In the 2009-10 legislative session alone, 1,551 resolutions were considered by the General Assembly, 1,092 of which were adopted. Topics included Lithuanian Independence Day (Feb. 16) and the Walnut Street Theatre's 200th anniversary (Feb. 11).
Some are labeled "controversial" and die in committee, or are rejected if they call for actions deemed too costly, such as conducting a study, says Erik Arneson, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, R-Delaware.
Others start off noncontroversial and lose the non. Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Butler, made waves last year when he opposed a resolution recognizing Domestic Violence Awareness Month because the measure mentioned male rape victims. Mr. Metcalfe saw this as an effort to advance the "homosexual agenda."
It passed, 194-1.
The latest batch of resolutions moving along Harrisburg's legislative conveyor belt includes one from Sen. Daylin Leach, D-Montgomery, making Feb. 14 "National Socks for the Homeless Day." It urges donations of socks and honors Joy of Sox, a nonprofit in Mr. Leach's district that raises awareness of the medical ills associated with being homeless and sockless.
Mr. Leach hopes he can encourage people to donate socks to the homeless, not only to keep their feet warm, but also to help prevent foot disease that can lead to foot amputation.
Efforts to nail down the cost of a resolution from multiple sources in the Capitol failed.
First Published February 22, 2011 12:00 am
