Pennsylvania's House and Senate make up the largest full-time state legislature in the country, with even more members than their counterparts in California and Texas.

But voters could have a chance to change that in 2017. The state Senate recently passed a bill that could eventually put a referendum on the ballot to reduce the size of the legislature.Senate Bill 153 would propose a constitutional amendment reducing the general assembly to 151 members from 203. But the process of amending the constitution is a long one.The house passed its version of the bill in May 2015.Lawmakers from Carbon and Schuylkill counties have shown strong support for the idea.Rep. Jerry Knowles, R-Schuylkill, who co-sponsored House Bill 153, said it's intended to make the lawmaking process more efficient, and save taxpayers' money."The greater number of people I represent, they want to see government downsized. This is downsizing government," Knowles said.The bill would mean a legislator would represent about 85,000 people instead of about 62,000 now.Knowles said it may save taxpayers' money, but the amount is not known at this time."It will be easier for them to come to consensus - the benefits go beyond the savings," he said.One drawback to the bill, for members of the house, is that it doesn't affect the size of the 50-member state senate.Rep. Doyle Heffley, R-Carbon, who supported House Bill 153, said the House sent another version of the same bill that would reduce the Senate, but it hasn't been signed."It could produce more effective legislature - but it does need to be proportionate," Heffley said.Sen. David Argall also co-sponsored a bill to shrink the house and the senate, which has not been voted on.It may come as a surprise that lawmakers are willing to essentially play musical chairs with their own jobs, consolidating their own districts. Heffley said he's just doing what his constituents would want him to do."When I come to work ... I don't look out for my personal well-being, I look out for what is best for the residents of the district, what is best for the people of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania," Heffley said.The actual reduction would also be a far way off. Both houses have to pass this same bill in 2017 before voters can get a chance to participate in a referendum - which means it would probably occur in November 2017.It would actually go into effect in 2020, when the legislative seats are reapportioned according to the census.Good government groups say there are pros and cons to the idea. Barry Kauffman of Common Cause PA, who has testified before the house legislative committee on this topic, said there probably would not be much cost savings in terms of the number of district offices because the remaining legislators would probably absorb them.However, Kauffman said there would be better ways to make the house work smoother.He acknowledged the inefficiency of the process, saying that of the many bills introduced each year, a legislator only has time to devote to about three."To really commit to an effort, you have to become your own lobbyist for the bill," Kauffman said.He also cautioned that as a legislature becomes smaller, campaigns could become more expensive, making officials more susceptible to accepting the support of special interests."When you have small districts you can do retail politics - a lot of door-to-door campaigning, church socials and Kiwanis clubs," Kauffman said."Once you have bigger districts, you need to do more expensive advertising. It's a lot tougher to see 85,000 constituents."