An amendment to the Pennsylvania Constitution calling for the reduction in the number of members of the General Assembly will be introduced in the Senate this week by Sen. Frederick B. Hobbs, R-Schuylkill.

The amendment calls for a Senate reduced from 50 members to 40 and a House of Representatives reduction from 203 members to 120.

Hobbs said Pennsylvania is the third-largest state in the nation, with a population of 11,669,565, yet the first and second largest states — California and New York — have smaller Legislatures.

A longtime advocate of legislative reform, Hobbs argues one of the key issues is making legislators “full-time representatives,” saying it “is frightening” that lawmakers conduct business on a part-time basis.