PITTSBURGH (TNS) — After being in office for about a year, state Rep. Valerie Gaydos, R-Allegheny, thinks there might be a few too many seats in the chamber.

Gaydos, 53, of Aleppo, recently introduced legislation which would cut legislative districts in Pennsylvania from 203 to 151, a move that would require amending the state constitution. Gaydos is a Sewickley native.

“Reducing the number of seats in the House of Representatives will not only provide a significant cost savings to taxpayers, but also streamline the legislative process and make it easier for lawmakers to reach consensus,” Gaydos said of House Bill 2151 in a news release.

Pennsylvania has the second-largest state legislature in the country yet is fifth in population, behind California, Texas, Florida and New York.

Rep. Jerry Knowles, R-Schuylkill, who co-sponsored the bill, has advocated for similar legislation in the past two sessions.

“I believe in smaller government, cutting costs and streamlining services,” Knowles said. “I would support this bill on those merits alone.”

Knowles also felt a smaller legislature would lead to “better discussion, clearer debate and more opportunity for each member to make his or her point.”

To amend the state constitution, identical versions of HB 2151 would need to pass the General Assembly in back-to-back sessions.

At that point, Pennsylvania voters would be asked to vote on a referendum authorizing the amendment.

The state’s House districts were the subject of a legal skirmish over the redistricting process between 2011 and 2013. A new district map was ultimately approved by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in May 2013 and went into effect beginning with the 2014 state election.

HB 2151 was referred to the House’s state government committee on Thursday.