Opinion ID: 2192923
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: constitutionality of act 44: the stilp appeal

Text: Act 44, entitled A[n] A[ct] [a]mending Titles 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure), 46 (Legislature) and 71 (State Government) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, providing for compensation; and making an inconsistent repeal, established a comprehensive plan which adopted formulas tying compensation and future increases in compensation for the Pennsylvania Judiciary, the General Assembly, and top executive officials to the salaries of federal judges, members of Congress, and top federal executive officials. For example, Act 44 provided that the salaries paid to Justices of this Court would be the same as the base salaries paid to circuit judges of the Courts of Appeals, see Act 44, ง 1 (amending 42 Pa.C.S. ง 1802(a)); salaries paid to members of the General Assembly were to be equal to 50% of the base salary paid to members of the United States House of Representatives, see Act 44, ง 2 (amending 46 Pa.C.S. ง 1102); and the salary paid to the Governor was to be equal to 85% of the base salary paid to the Vice President of the United States, see Act 44, ง 3 (amending 71 Pa.C.S. ง 1102(a)). In addition to the provisions adopting new compensation formulas, Act 44 contained several constitutionally problematic provisions. One such provision was the unvouchered expense provision, which applied exclusively to the Legislature. As previously noted, this provision permitted current legislators to receive the dollar-for-dollar equivalent of their future salary increase immediately through the mechanism of unvouchered expenses, with the payments ending upon each individual legislator's next election. See Act 44, ง 2 (amending 46 Pa.C.S. ง 1107). Another problematic provision was a nonseverability clause, apparently adopted in anticipation of litigation, which provided that if any provision of the Act were deemed unconstitutional, the entire Act would be void. See Act 44, ง 6. Stilp raised several constitutional challenges to Act 44. In light of these challenges, we directed the parties to address the following five issues: (1) Whether Stilp has standing to bring an action challenging the constitutionality of Act 44? (2) Whether the General Assembly's adoption of Act 44 violated: a) Article III, Section 1 of the Pennsylvania Constitution; b) Article III, Section 2 of the Pennsylvania Constitution; c) Article III, Section 3 of the Pennsylvania Constitution; and/or d) Article III, Section 4 of the Pennsylvania Constitution? (3) Whether the system of unvouchered expenses established by Act 44 violated the Pennsylvania Constitution, and whether this Court should reconsider and/or overrule the decision in Consumer Party of Pennsylvania v. Commonwealth, 510 Pa. 158, 507 A.2d 323 (1986)? (4) In the event any portion of Act 44 is deemed unconstitutional, whether enforcement of the nonseverability provision in the statute would violate Article V, Section 16(a) of the Pennsylvania Constitution? (5) Whether Stilp's constitutional challenges are moot? Stilp, 889 A.2d 499. Again, because this Court assumed plenary jurisdiction over this matter, there is no lower court decision or order under review. The questions involved are purely legal; thus, our scope of review is plenary and our standard of review is de novo. We will address the first and fifth questions first because a finding either of no standing or of mootness would obviate the necessity for addressing the constitutional challenges. See Ballou v. State Ethics Commission, 496 Pa. 127, 436 A.2d 186, 187 (1981) ([W]hen a case raises both constitutional and non-constitutional issues, a court should not reach the constitutional issue if the case can properly be decided on non-constitutional grounds.).
As a preliminary matter, and for purposes of this appeal, we accept that Stilp has standing to challenge the constitutionality of Act 44. Specifically, we find that Stilp has satisfied the requirements necessary for taxpayer standing consistent with the recognition of this exception to traditional standing requirements announced in Application of Biester, 487 Pa. 438, 409 A.2d 848 (1979). Under Biester, a taxpayer has standing to challenge an act if: (1) the governmental action would otherwise go unchallenged; (2) those directly and immediately affected by the complained-of matter are beneficially affected and not inclined to challenge the action; (3) judicial relief is appropriate; (4) redress through other channels is unavailable; and (5) no other persons are better situated to assert the claim. Pittsburgh Palisades Park, LLC v. Commonwealth, 585 Pa. 196, 888 A.2d 655, 662 (2005) (citing Consumer Party, 507 A.2d at 329). If not for Stilp's challenge, Act 44 would go unchallenged because the very individuals who enacted the legislation โ i.e., the members of the General Assembly โ were directly and beneficially affected by the legislation and thus would not be inclined to challenge its constitutionality. Therefore, the first two requirements are satisfied. Judicial relief is appropriate because it is the court's role to determine the constitutionality of a piece of legislation. Furthermore, redress through other channels is unavailable since there are no agencies or tribunals with jurisdiction to grant the redress sought by Stilp. Lastly, there are no other persons better situated to assert the claim because all those directly and immediately affected by Act 44 are beneficially affected by the Act and have not brought, and are not likely to bring, a cause of action in state court. [27] This is especially so because Act 72 has now repealed Act 44. Accordingly, Stilp has taxpayer standing to maintain this action.
Additionally, we find that, notwithstanding Act 72's repeal of Act 44, Stilp's constitutional challenges are not moot. See Commonwealth, Dep't of Envtl. Res. v. Jubelirer, 531 Pa. 472, 614 A.2d 204, 211-12 (1992) (where challenged statute is later repealed, judicial consideration of its constitutionality is moot). Because of our above determination that the provisions of Act 72 repealing the Act 44 formula which resulted in compensation increases for the Judiciary are unconstitutional, part of Act 44, at least presumptively, is still operative. Stilp's challenges regarding Article III procedural flaws therefore are not moot. Moreover, Stilp's constitutional challenge to Act 44's unvouchered expense provision and his related challenge to this Court's precedent in Consumer Party are reviewable because Act 44's nonseverability provision purports to require declaring all of Act 44 void if any individual provision were deemed unconstitutional.
Stilp maintains that the General Assembly violated the procedural protections provided in Article III, Sections 1-4 of the Pennsylvania Constitution. Our recent decision in PAGE, supra, is controlling on this subject. In PAGE, a group of petitioners challenged the procedure by which the Pennsylvania Race Horse Development and Gaming Act (Gaming Act) was enacted, arguing that the General Assembly violated Article III, Sections 1, 3, 4, 6, and 10. Prior to this Court's analysis of each discrete constitutional challenge, we discussed the reasoning behind the adoption of Article III: Article III can be viewed as a constellation of constitutional requirements that govern various aspects of the legislative enactment procedure. Each of these provisions was born in a time in which Pennsylvanians were experiencing rapid growth economically and `wrenching' social change .... An enormous growth in the corporate form of business organization led to significant concentrations of wealth and the corruption of numerous legislators. Corruption took the form of special laws legislation, logrolling, and arbitrary favoritism and was met with a demand for reform. The Constitutional Convention of 1872-73 was convened to reform corrupt legislative behavior, and to this end, the result was the constitutional strictures contained in Article III. Thus, while these changes to the Constitution originated during a unique time of fear of tyrannical corporate power and legislative corruption, these mandates retain their value even today by placing certain constitutional limitations on the legislative process. PAGE, 877 A.2d at 394 (citations and footnote omitted). Generally, Article III's purpose is to place restraints on the legislative process and encourage an open, deliberative and accountable government. City of Philadelphia, 838 A.2d at 585 (quoting Pennsylvania AFL-CIO ex rel. George v. Commonwealth, 563 Pa. 108, 757 A.2d 917, 923 (2000)). Following preliminary determinations regarding jurisdiction and standing, the PAGE court comprehensively surveyed and summarized guiding principles in the area of Article III, ultimately holding that the majority of the Gaming Act passed constitutional muster; however, we did strike certain portions of the Gaming Act as violative of Article III, Section 3 and pursuant to the Act's severability provision. [28] PAGE, 877 A.2d at 419. Specifically, with regard to the single subject requirement of Article III, Section 3, we found that the single unifying subject of the Gaming Act was the regulation of gaming, and that a majority of the Act's provisions, except for certain disbursement provisions, were germane to this single subject. Id. at 404. We also determined that the title of the Gaming Act put a reasonable person on notice of the general subject matter of the Act, therefore satisfying the clear expression of title requirement provided in Article III, Section 3. Id. at 406. Concerning the Article III, Section 1 challenge, we concluded that the process by which the Gaming Act was enacted did not violate the constitutional provision's prohibition on alteration or amendment so as to change the original purpose of the Act. Id. at 409-10. Finally, with regard to the challenge raised under Article III, Section 4, we concluded that because the petitioners had failed to establish a violation under Article III, Section 1 or 3, and because the record demonstrated that the bill which ultimately became the Gaming Act was read on three separate occasions in each House, the petitioners failed to prove a Section 4 violation. Id. at 410. When a challenge is forwarded concerning the process by which legislation is enacted, rather than the substance of the legislation, concerns of comity and separation of powers between the branches necessarily arise. Cases such as PAGE demonstrate that this Court takes seriously its responsibility as a coordinate and equal branch of government, while showing a measure of appropriate deference to the legislative branch when it comes to matters affecting the mechanics of bills and the legislative process. [29] It is worth noting that, in our system of government, although this Court decidedly has the final word on constitutionality, the obligation to abide by the mandates of the Pennsylvania Constitution, including those procedural restraints governing the General Assembly found in Article III, applies to all three branches, and we do not proceed upon a cynical assumption that our sister branches do not take their constitutional obligations seriously. It is within the power, and arguably it is the duty, of each individual legislator, and the Governor, to consult his or her own conscience about the constitutionality of proposed legislation in deciding whether to support it or endorse it. We also note that, in our democratic form of government, there are other methods, besides lawsuits, which may serve as a corrective tool for legislative excesses, the primary method being the political process itself. This case has borne out the effectiveness of that process. The legislative appellees themselves have emphasized this very point in several respects. We cannot overstate, however, that we would not approve patently unconstitutional legislation merely because the political process could correct it. The strong presumption of constitutionality afforded legislative enactments includes the procedure by which legislation is enacted. PAGE, 877 A.2d at 393. Thus, Act 44 cannot be deemed unconstitutional unless we find that it clearly, palpably, and plainly violates the Constitution. See id. A logical beginning for a discussion of Article III procedural challenges is the sequence of events surrounding the passage of Act 44. The relevant facts are matters of public record and are not in dispute. On May 3, 2005, House Bill 1521 (HB 1521), printer's no. 1865, a one page document, was introduced in the House of Representatives as An A[ct] [r]elating to compensation for executive branch officials. HB 1521 contained a provision declaring its short title to be the Executive Branch Official Compensation Act. Aside from a definitional section, HB 1521 contained a single provision which directed that no executive official could receive an annual salary exceeding the annual salary paid to the Governor. On the same date that it was introduced in the House, HB 1521 was referred to the House State Government Committee and, thereafter, it was reported as committed on May 11, 2005. It had its first consideration by the House on May 11, 2005, but was then tabled. It was given second consideration on June 6, 2005. HB 1521 was then re-referred to the House Appropriations Committee on June 6, 2005, and re-reported as committed on that date. It was given third consideration on June 8, 2005, and received final passage in the House on June 8, 2005 by a vote of 157-40. On June 13, 2005, HB 1521 was referred to the Senate State Government Committee, and was reported as committed on June 30, 2005. HB 1521 was first considered on June 30, 2005 and received second consideration on July 1, 2005. It was then re-referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee on July 1, 2005. On July 6, 2005, HB 1521 was slightly amended and given a new printer's number (No. 2561). It remained a one-page document, and the amendment merely added a section providing that the act applied only to executive officials who took office after November 1, 2006. This amended version of HB 1521 was then re-reported to the Senate and received third consideration and final passage on July 6, 2005 by a vote of 28-22. On July 6, 2005, the new version of HB 1521 was referred to the House Rules Committee, and reported as committed on that date. The House non-concurred in the Senate amendment, and the Senate non-concurred in response, insisting on its amendment. A conference committee consisting of three members from each chamber was duly organized. On July 7, 2005, HB 1521 was altered and amended by the conference committee. The conference committee's new version of HB 1521 was now twenty-two pages long, had a new printer's number (No. 2570), and was given a new title: A[n] A[ct] [a]mending Titles 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure), 46 (Legislature) and 71 (State Government) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, providing for compensation; and making an inconsistent repeal. This version of HB 1521 was passed by the House by a vote of 119-79, and passed by the Senate by a vote of 27-23. It was then signed into law by Governor Rendell as Act 44 in the early morning hours of July 7, 2005. Before beginning our analysis, it is necessary to align the parties and amici into two camps based on their stated positions regarding the alleged Article III violations. The first group includes (1) Stilp, (2) Treasurer Casey, and (3) amicus Timothy Potts; Russ Diamond, on behalf of PA Clean Sweep, Inc.; and Eric Epstein, Coordinator of RocktheCapital.org (hereinafter, Potts). Collectively, this group alleges that the General Assembly violated Article III, Sections 1-4 during the passage of Act 44. [30] [31] Both Stilp and Treasurer Casey offer slightly divergent reasons in support of this position; therefore, their arguments will be summarized separately. The second group includes (1) the remainder of the appellees, i.e., Attorney General Corbett on behalf of the Commonwealth, Senator Jubelirer, and Speaker Perzel, (2) amicus Judge Herron, and (3) amici the Brown appellants. Because this group offers similar arguments defending Act 44's constitutionality in the face of the Article III challenges, we shall summarize them as one. Additionally, for ease and clarity of discussion, we will discuss the Article III, Section 3 challenge first.
Article III, Section 3 of the Pennsylvania Constitution, entitled Form of Bills, provides in full: No bill shall be passed containing more than one subject, which shall be clearly expressed in its title, except a general appropriation bill or a bill codifying or compiling the law or a part thereof. PA. CONST. art. III, ง 3. This constitutional provision sets forth dual mandates for the General Assembly which prohibits the passing of a bill that contains more than one subject and requires that the subject be clearly expressed in its title. PAGE, 877 A.2d at 394. Stilp merges his arguments for the single-subject and clearly expressed title requirements. Regarding the single-subject directive, Stilp argues that the subject of the original version of HB 1521 was to ensure that no executive official receive a higher salary than the Governor does. Stilp maintains that the amendments to HB 1521, which addressed compensation for all three branches of government, are not germane to this original subject. With respect to the clearly expressed title requirement, Stilp argues that the original title of HB 1521 โ A[n] A[ct] [r]elating to compensation for executive branch officials โ did not place anyone on notice that Act 44 as ultimately enacted involved substantial changes to the compensation system governing all three branches of government. Appellees counter that the General Assembly did not violate Article III, Section 3 in enacting Act 44. Appellees contend that all versions of HB 1521 maintained a single unifying subject โ i.e., compensation for government officials. Appellees contend that all provisions added during the legislative process were germane to this single subject. Appellees also argue that Act 44's title โ A[n] A[ct] [a]mending Titles 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure), 46 (Legislature) and 71 (State Government) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, providing for compensation; and making an inconsistent repeal โ is clear because a reasonable person could read it and discover that it amends the provisions affecting compensation provided to the Judiciary, Legislature, and state government. In PAGE, this Court reaffirmed the standard for reviewing a single-subject challenge: where the provisions added during the legislative process assist in carrying out a bill's main objective or are otherwise `germane' to the bill's subject as reflected in its title, the single-subject stricture is satisfied. PAGE, 877 A.2d at 395 (quoting City of Philadelphia, 838 A.2d at 587). In conducting such a review, a court must not define the main objective of a bill too narrowly, and thus must afford the General Assembly considerable deference, as Article III must not become a license for the Judiciary to exercise a pedantic tyranny over the Legislature's efforts. City of Philadelphia, 838 A.2d at 588 (citing Estate of Rochez, 511 Pa. 620, 515 A.2d 899, 902 (1986)); see Payne v. School Dist. of Coudersport Borough, 168 Pa. 386, 31 A. 1072, 1074 (1895) (Few bills are so elementary in character that they may not be subdivided under several heads ....). Conversely, there must also be limits on how broadly a main objective is defined as well as on germaneness, or else the strictures announced in Section 3 would be rendered impotent to guard against the evils that it was designed to curtail. City of Philadelphia, 838 A.2d at 588 (There must be limits ... as otherwise virtually all legislation, no matter how diverse in substance, would meet the single-subject requirement.); see PAGE, 877 A.2d at 395 (Article III, Section 3 must have, however, some limits on germaneness, for otherwise virtually all legislation โ no matter how diverse in substance โ would meet the single-subject requirement, rendering the strictures of Section 3 nugatory.); Payne, 31 A. at 1074 ([N]o two subjects are so wide apart that they may not be brought into a common focus, if the point of view be carried back far enough.). Here, we conclude that HB 1521 maintains a single unifying subject โ regulating compensation for government officials. Specifically, the version of HB 1521 as passed adopts formulas which resulted in increased compensation for the Judiciary, the Legislature, and high-ranking executive officials, and provides a mechanism tying future compensation for state officials to the compensation provided to designated federal officials. All of the provisions contained in Act 44 are germane to the subject of regulating compensation for government officials. Accordingly, we hold that Act 44 does not clearly, palpably, and plainly violate Article III, Section 3's single-subject requirement. Turning to the clearly expressed title challenge, this Court set forth in PAGE the burden that a party must overcome to sustain such a challenge: [O]ne who seeks to declare a title unconstitutional under this provision must demonstrate either (1) that the legislators and the public were actually deceived as to the act's contents at the time of passage, or (2) that the title on its face is such that no reasonable person would have been on notice as to the act's contents. PAGE, 877 A.2d at 406 (quoting Estate of Rochez, 515 A.2d at 902). In other words, a title is constitutional if it puts a reasonable person on notice of the general subject matter of the act. Id. (citing Ewalt v. Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, 382 Pa. 529, 115 A.2d 729 (1955)). Based on a simple comparison of Act 44's title with its contents, we conclude that Stilp has failed to establish an Article III, Section 3 clear expression of title violation. The title clearly indicates that Act 44 amends the provisions governing compensation paid to the members of the three branches of government. Indeed, Stilp erroneously cites the title of the unamended version of HB 1521 as the title of the Act voted on by the legislators. Furthermore, Stilp does not allege that any legislator was actually deceived as to Act 44's contents at the time of passage nor do any legislators aver being deceived by the title. Finally, the title clearly puts a reasonable person on notice of the general subject matter of the Act. Accordingly, recognizing the strong presumption of constitutionality, as we must, we hold that Act 44 passes constitutional muster under Section 3's clear expression of title requirement.
Next, Stilp contends that Act 44 violated Article III, Section 1 of the Pennsylvania Constitution. This provision, entitled Passage of Bills, provides: No law shall be passed except by bill, and no bill shall be so altered or amended, on its passage through either House, as to change its original purpose. PA. CONST. art. III, ง 1. All parties agree that PAGE sets forth the relevant inquiry for a challenge to legislation under Article III, Section 1. Notably, the PAGE Court set forth a new test under this constitutional provision. First, a reviewing court must consider the original purpose of the legislation in reasonably broad terms, compare it to the final purpose, and then decide whether there has been an alteration or amendment that changed the original purpose. Second, the court must consider whether the title and contents of the bill in its final form are deceptive. If the legislation passes both the purpose comparison and deception inquiries, it will pass constitutional muster. PAGE, 877 A.2d at 409. Stilp maintains that the original purpose of HB 1521 was to ensure that the Governor was the highest paid executive official and that purpose was drastically altered during the amendment process. The result, he argues, was unconstitutional legislation providing large raises in compensation for the Judiciary, the General Assembly, and high-ranking executive officials. Regarding the second prong, Stilp argues that the original title of HB 1521 โ A[n] A[ct] [r]elating to compensation for executive branch officials โ was deceptive as it failed to provide notice of the substantial overhaul of the compensation paid to officials in all three branches of government. Treasurer Casey addresses only the first prong of the PAGE test, arguing that the original version of HB 1521 and the enacted version of the bill share the common purpose of compensation. The Treasurer maintains that such a purpose is too broad and general to be constitutional under Section 1's stricture, particularly in light of this Court's statement that the aim of Section 1 is some degree of continuity in object or intention. Id. at 408. In response, appellees contend that the original purpose of HB 1521, viewed in reasonably broad terms, was to provide compensation for government officials. Appellees argue that the amendments made to HB 1521 were consistent with this purpose. Moreover, appellees maintain that the title and contents of HB 1521 in its final form were not deceptive, and the record does not reflect that any legislators who voted against the bill did so because they were unclear of its contents. Applying PAGE, we first note that the original version of HB 1521, as introduced in the House on May 3, 2005, directed that the Governor be the highest paid official in the Executive branch. Considering the original purpose in reasonably broad terms, and consistently with our discussion above concerning the single subject challenge, we find that the original purpose of the bill was to regulate compensation for government officials. We acknowledge that HB 1521 in final form significantly amended and expanded the original version. We find, however, that the principal object of the bill throughout the legislative process from inception to passage was regulating compensation for government officials. Accordingly, we conclude that the bill was not altered or amended to change the original purpose in passage through the Legislature. As for the second prong of the construct announced in PAGE, we must consider whether the title and contents of the bill in its final form were deceptive. In accordance with our determination above concerning Stilp's clear expression of title challenge under Article III, Section 3, we find that the title of HB 1521 in final form was not deceptive as it placed a reasonable person on notice of the general subject matter of the bill. See PAGE, 877 A.2d at 406. Moreover, concerning the final contents, although we acknowledge that the amendments to HB 1521 were included at the end of the legislative process and were substantive, we find that the amendments were not deceptive. Accordingly, and once again being mindful of the presumption of constitutionality, we conclude that HB 1521 was not altered or amended in passage through both legislative houses so as to change the original purpose of the bill.
Stilp asserts that Act 44 also violated Article III, Section 2 of the Pennsylvania Constitution. This provision, entitled Reference to Committee; Printing, states that: No bill shall be considered unless referred to a committee, printed for the use of the members and returned therefrom. PA. CONST. art. III, ง 2. Stilp argues that because HB 1521 was substantially altered by the amendments, the final version was required to be re-referred to committee. Stilp further asserts that the legislative history clearly indicates that the final version of HB 1521 could not have been printed and distributed to all legislators with enough time to fully review and comprehend the legislation prior to the vote on July 7, 2005. Treasurer Casey contends that proper procedure under Section 2 requires that a bill be reported out of a standing committee in each House before the first of its three considerations in each House. The Treasurer maintains that the General Assembly violated this procedure because the final version of HB 1521 was reported out of a conference committee and then given its first and only consideration the same day that it was passed. The Treasurer's argument, like Stilp's, is based on the premise that the version of HB 1521 as passed was significantly different from the version of the bill that was referred to committee during the legislative process. Appellees cogently respond that a constitutional challenge under Section 2 can only be sustained if an Article III, Section 1 or 3 violation is established. PAGE, 877 A.2d at 410 ([A]n amended bill need not be referred to committee and considered on those separate days if the amendments are germane to, and do not wholly change, the general subject of the bill.) (quoting Pennsylvania AFL-CIO v. Commonwealth, 691 A.2d 1023, 1037 (Pa.Cmwlth. 1997), aff'd, 563 Pa. 108, 757 A.2d 917 (2000)). Appellees argue that, because the General Assembly did not violate Section 1 or 3 in enacting Act 44, there can be no violation under Section 2. Moreover, appellees maintain that it is clear from the record that HB 1521 was referred to committee during the legislative process and that it was printed and distributed to all legislators prior to the vote. It is settled that an amended bill does not need to be referred to committee, as required by Article III, Section 2, if the amendments to the bill added during the legislative process are germane to and do not change the general subject of the bill. DeWeese v. Weaver, 824 A.2d 364, 368 n. 7 (Pa.Cmwlth.2003); Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, 691 A.2d at 1037. Stilp and Treasurer Casey claim that Section 2 was violated because the subject and purpose of the original version of HB 1521 were significantly altered during the legislative process. As noted above, however, we have concluded that they failed to demonstrate a violation of Article III, Section 1 or 3. In addition, a review of the record reveals that HB 1521 was referred to the House State Government Committee on May 3, 2005, to the House Appropriations Committee on June 6, 2005, to the Senate State Government Committee on June 13, 2005, to the Senate Appropriations Committee on July 1, 2005, to the House Rules Committee on July 6, 2005, and to a joint conference committee on July 7, 2005. Accordingly, because Stilp and Treasurer Casey have failed to establish a violation of Article III, Section 1 or 3, and because the record clearly demonstrates that the bill was referred to committee and printed for the General Assembly members, Stilp and Treasurer Casey have failed to establish an Article III, Section 2 violation.
Stilp's final procedural challenge pertains to Article III, Section 4 of the Pennsylvania Constitution. This provision, entitled Consideration of Bills, provides in full: Every bill shall be considered on three different days in each House. All amendments made thereto shall be printed for the use of the members before the final vote is taken on the bill and before the final vote is taken, upon written request addressed to the presiding officer of either House by at least 25% of the members elected to that House, any bill shall be read at length in that House. No bill shall become a law, unless on its final passage the vote is taken by yeas and nays, the names of the persons voting for and against it are entered on the journal, and a majority of the members elected to each House is recorded thereon as voting in its favor. PA. CONST. art. III, ง 4. Stilp maintains that the amended and final version of HB 1521 was not created, nor considered by both Houses, until July 7, 2005, the same date that it was passed and signed into law as Act 44. Therefore, according to Stilp, because the substance of HB 1521 had been altered by the amendments, the final version of HB 1521 was required to be considered on three different days in each House. Treasurer Casey concedes that under PAGE, a violation of Section 4 cannot be established unless either Article III, Section 1 or 3 has also been violated. PAGE, 877 A.2d at 410. Consistent with his assertion that Section 1 was violated, however, the Treasurer maintains that the final version of HB 1521 changed the purpose of the original version, and therefore the consideration of the original bill became a nullity. Thus, the Treasurer argues, the General Assembly was required to consider the final version on three different days in each House in accordance with Section 4. The Treasurer argues that because each house of the General Assembly considered and voted on the final version of HB 1521 on only one day, Section 4 was violated. Appellees' response is similar to their answer concerning the Article III, Section 2 challenge. Specifically, appellees contend that in order to establish an Article III, Section 4 violation, an Article III, Section 1 or 3 violation must first be demonstrated by the challenger. Id. Appellees argue that because Stilp and Treasurer Casey have failed to establish a Section 1 or 3 violation, their challenge under Section 4 must also fail. Moreover, appellees maintain that the record clearly demonstrates that HB 1521 was considered on three separate days in each House during the legislative process. Similar to an Article III, Section 2 challenge, it is settled that a bill does not have to be considered on three separate days, as otherwise required by Article III, Section 4, if the amendments to the bill added during the legislative process are germane to and do not change the general subject of the bill. Id.; DeWeese, 824 A.2d at 368 n. 7; Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, 691 A.2d at 1037. Our analysis for this claim, therefore, is identical to our analysis of the Section 2 claim. Thus, because Stilp and Treasurer Casey claim that Section 2 was violated because HB 1521 was significantly altered during the legislative process, they must first establish a violation of Article III, Section 1 or 3, which they have failed to do. In addition, a review of the record reveals that HB 1521 was considered on three separate days in the House (May 11, June 6, and June 8, 2005), and three separate days in the Senate (June 30, July 1, and July 6, 2005). Accordingly, because Stilp and Treasurer Casey have failed to establish a violation of Article III, Section 1 or 3, and because the bill was read on three different occasions, Stilp and Treasurer Casey have failed to establish an Article III, Section 4 violation.
Stilp's last constitutional challenge concerns, not the entirety of Act 44, but the legislative unvouchered expense allowance provision. See Act 44, ง 2 (amending 46 Pa.C.S. ง 1107). This provision reads as follows: ง 1107. Additional expenses (a) Senate. โ (1) Beginning on the effective date of this subsection and ending November 30, 2008, a member of the Senate shall receive monthly, in addition to any allocation for clerical assistance and other actual expenses, an unvouchered expense allocation in the amount of 1/12 of the difference between: (i) the amount specified for a member in: (A) section 1102(a) (relating to members of the General Assembly) plus section 1104 (relating to cost of living) as appropriate; or (B) section 1103(a) (relating to legislative officers and leaders) plus section 1104 as appropriate; and (ii) the amount calculated for that member as of the effective date of this subparagraph pursuant to the act of September 30, 1983 (P.L. 160, No. 39), known as the Public Official Compensation Law. (2) This subsection shall expire November 30, 2008. (b) House of Representatives. โ (1) Beginning on the effective date of this subsection, a member of the House of Representatives may receive each month, in addition to any allocation for clerical assistance and other actual expenses, an unvouchered expense allocation in the amount of 1/12 of the difference between: (i) the amount specified for a member in: (A) section 1102(b); or (B) section 1103(b) as appropriate; and (ii) the amount calculated for that member as of the effective date of this subparagraph pursuant to the Public Official Compensation Law. (2) The Rules Committee of the House of Representatives shall determine the procedure by which a member of the House of Representatives may receive an allocation under this subsection. (3) This subsection shall expire November 30, 2006. Act 44, ง 2 (amending 46 Pa.C.S. ง 1107) (footnote omitted). Specifically, Stilp contends that the unvouchered expense allowances provided in Act 44 violate Article II, Section 8 of the Pennsylvania Constitution. This provision, entitled Compensation, reads as follows: The members of the General Assembly shall receive such salary and mileage for regular and special sessions as shall be fixed by law, and no other compensation whatever, whether for service upon committee or otherwise. No member of either House shall during the term for which he may have been elected, receive any increase of salary, or mileage, under any law passed during such term. PA. CONST. art. II, ง 8. Stilp maintains that Act 44's unvouchered expense allowances are an unconstitutional attempt to circumvent Article II, Section 8's express proscription against a mid-term increase in legislative salary by allowing incumbent legislators to secure pay raises immediately without waiting for the next election. Stilp highlights two mechanical aspects of the allowances that, in his view, unquestionably prove that the allowances are a de facto salary increase. First, he notes that the unvouchered expenses authorized in Act 44 equaled the exact dollar-for-dollar amount of the increase in legislative salaries provided under the formula adopted by Act 44 and which were to take effect after the next election for each individual legislator. Indeed, the amount of the unvouchered expense allowance was not expressed in dollar terms, but only with reference to the equivalent percentage of the future salary increase. Second, Stilp notes that the unvouchered expenses expired at different times, depending upon the election cycle. Thus, the expenses were available from July 7, 2005 (the effective date of Act 44) until November 30, 2006 for members of the House, all of whose seats would be up for election in the 2006 general election. For Senators, however, the expenses were made available until November 30, 2006 or November 30, 2008, depending on the term of office for each Senator. Concisely, Section 2 of Act 44, amending 46 Pa.C.S. ง 1107, permitted legislators to immediately receive, as unvouchered expenses, the precise amount of their future salary increase until their actual salary increases took effect following each legislator's next election. Furthermore, Stilp argues that the unvouchered expense allowances were not intended as compensation for actual expenses incurred by legislators; in this regard, he asserts, the $7,500 in vouchered expenses already provided to legislators each year is more than adequate to cover actually incurred expenses. [32] [33] In connection with his contention that the unvouchered expense provision is unconstitutional, Stilp argues that this Court's decision in Consumer Party, 510 Pa. 158, 507 A.2d 323, which approved the General Assembly's use of unvouchered expenses in prior compensation legislation, must be overruled. Stilp also argues that we should disapprove of two Commonwealth Court cases which relied on Consumer Party to uphold unvouchered expense provisions enacted in subsequent compensation legislation. See Stilp v. Commonwealth, 699 A.2d 1353 (Pa. Cmwlth.1997); Kennedy v. Commonwealth, 119 Pa.Cmwlth. 24, 546 A.2d 733 (Cmwlth.1988) ( en banc ). Stilp initially maintains that the portion of Consumer Party approving unvouchered expenses was actually dicta because the issue was not properly before the Court. Stilp argues that dicta has no precedential value, and that Kennedy's and Stilp's repetition of the Consumer Party dicta did not elevate that dicta into precedent. See Commonwealth v. Perry, 568 Pa. 499, 798 A.2d 697, 715 (2002) (Castille, J., concurring) ( Dicta is not converted into binding constitutional precedent through repetition.). Stilp alternatively argues that even if Consumer Party, Kennedy, and Stilp are deemed to be binding precedent, they must be overruled because they are incorrect to the extent they hold that mid-term provisions for legislative unvouchered expenses are constitutional. See Stilp's Brief at 22 (citing Mayle v. Pa. Dept. of Highways, 479 Pa. 384, 388 A.2d 709, 720 (1978) ([T]he doctrine of stare decisis is not a vehicle for perpetuating error, but rather a legal concept which responds to the demands of justice and, thus, permits the orderly growth processes of the law to flourish. ...)). Lastly, Stilp maintains that this Court must specifically direct the General Assembly never to include a legislative unvouchered expense provision in future pay raise legislation. Treasurer Casey again aligns himself with Stilp on this issue. Specifically, he agrees with Stilp that Act 44's unvouchered expense provision violates Article II, Section 8 of the Pennsylvania Constitution because it is a mid-term salary increase; that Consumer Party must be overruled; and that the legislators who took the unvouchered expenses prior to Act 72's repeal of Act 44 must repay the payments. In its amicus curiae brief, Potts emphasizes, as Stilp does, that the unvouchered expense allowances are not paid for actual business expenses incurred by legislators, and that the allowances in this legislation equaled the exact amount of salary increases that were to take effect upon the next election for each individual legislator. Therefore, according to Potts, the unvouchered expense allowances in Act 44 are salary merely disguised under a different name. Potts additionally invites this Court to overrule Consumer Party and clarify that unvouchered expenses are unconstitutional and an improper circumvention of Article II, Section 8 of the Pennsylvania Constitution. In response, the remaining appellees โ which include Attorney General Corbett on behalf of the Commonwealth, Senator Jubelirer, and Speaker Perzel โ maintain that the Article II, Section 8 challenge must be rejected under both Consumer Party and the doctrine of stare decisis. Specifically, appellees argue that mid-term provisions for legislative unvouchered expense allowances do not constitute salary or mileage under our holding in Consumer Party, and thus are outside the scope of Article II, Section 8 of the Pennsylvania Constitution. Appellees also argue that Stilp has failed to satisfy the necessary burden for this Court to overrule Consumer Party. Senator Jubelirer and Speaker Perzel then offer additional, substantive reasons in support of these general arguments. Senator Jubelirer initially acknowledges that there are some differences between the unvouchered expenses upheld in Consumer Party and those provided in Act 44, most notably that the unvouchered expense allowances upheld in Consumer Party were not in an amount equal to the future salary increase. But, the Senator maintains that the differences are immaterial and, thus, the doctrine of stare decisis requires this Court to uphold Act 44's unvouchered expense provision and reaffirm Consumer Party. The Senator asserts that the General Assembly relies upon this Court's precedent in enacting legislation, and that the overruling of Consumer Party would cast uncertainty and confusion regarding a fundamentally important legislative function. Senator Jubelirer's Brief at 31. For his part, Speaker Perzel maintains that Act 44's unvouchered expense provision complies with Consumer Party, and that the General Assembly acted in good faith reliance on this precedent in enacting the provision. The Speaker acknowledges that this Court has appeared to be uneasy with Consumer Party, pointing to: the recent decision in PAGE which overruled the legal standard announced in Consumer Party for evaluating Article III, Section 1 original purpose challenges; and the phrasing of the portion of our Order of December 22, 2005 concerning the unvouchered expense issue. Given this perceived uneasiness with Consumer Party, the Speaker maintains, the Legislature, as a practical concern, requires guidance and clarification from the Court for any future legislation ... [and] a dependable ruling on the requirements of Article II, Section 8, and most directly concerning the continued constitutionality of those unvouchered expense allocations in the amount of the future pay raise. Speaker Perzel's Brief at 26. This Court reviews constitutional challenges to a statute under the presumption that the General Assembly does not intend to violate the Constitution; accordingly, a statute enjoys a strong presumption of constitutionality. See 1 Pa.C.S. ง 1922(3); PAGE, 877 A.2d at 393. Any party challenging the constitutionality of a statute bears the heavy burden of proving that the act clearly, palpably, and plainly violates the Constitution, and all doubts are to be resolved in favor of a finding of constitutionality. PAGE, 877 A.2d at 393. In construing constitutional provisions, the fundamental rule of construction which guides [the Court] is that the Constitution's language controls and must be interpreted in its popular sense, as understood by the people when they voted on its adoption. Ieropoli, 842 A.2d at 925. All parties involved agree that Article II, Section 8 of the Pennsylvania Constitution plainly and unequivocally prohibits legislators from receiving mid-term salary increases. The issue then is whether the mid-term legislative unvouchered expense allowance authorized by Act 44 is in fact a salary increase, and therefore is repugnant to the Constitution. Our analysis necessarily begins with Consumer Party. Consumer Party involved Act 39 of 1983 (the Public Official Compensation Law), a comprehensive law that, similar to Act 44, addressed the compensation of officials in all three branches of government. Section 4 of the Act raised the salaries of members of the General Assembly by $10,000, to a total of $35,000 per annum, made effective following the next election. Section 4 also authorized $7,500 in vouchered expenses for clerical assistance and other expenses incurred during [a legislator's] term in connection with the duties of his office. Act 39, ง 4(a); see Consumer Party, 507 A.2d at 327 n. 3. Section 5 of Act 39 also provided for an unvouchered expense allowance in a total amount of $5,000, but payable mid-term, in monthly allotments over a one-year time period from December 1, 1983 until November 30, 1984. See Act 39, ง 5(a); Consumer Party, 507 A.2d at 327 n. 4. In addition, Officers of both the Senate and the House of Representatives were to receive additional amounts of unvouchered expenses for the same one-year time period. Act 39, ง 5(b), (c); Consumer Party, 507 A.2d at 327 n. 4. The citizen-taxpayer appellants in Consumer Party appealed from a Commonwealth Court order which, on summary judgment, upheld the constitutionality of Act 39. After reviewing and rejecting various procedural challenges raised under Article III, this Court turned to the appellants' challenge to Act 39's legislative unvouchered expense provision. The appellants had argued in the Commonwealth Court only that the provision violated Article III, Section 27 of the Pennsylvania Constitution, entitled Changes in Term of Office or Salary Prohibited, and which provides that: No law shall extend the term of any public officer, or increase or diminish his salary or emoluments, after his election or appointment. We held that this challenge was meritless because the more specific provision in Article II, Section 8 exclusively covers mid-term compensation increases for the Legislature. Consumer Party, 507 A.2d at 335-36 (citing Snyder v. Barber, 378 Pa. 377, 106 A.2d 410, 411 (1954) (Article III, Section 27 (formerly numbered 13) does not apply to the members of the Legislature since their compensation is dealt with in a separate part of the Constitution, namely, Art. II, sec. 8.)). The Consumer Party Court then went on to note that, in their brief on appeal, the appellants attempted to raise a new claim alleging that the unvouchered expense provision violated Article II, Section 8. We determined that this distinct issue was not properly before the Court because it was never raised in the complaint below nor did the appellants seek to amend their complaint to raise the claim. Id. at 336. Notwithstanding this waiver holding, the Consumer Party Court went on to address and reject the Article II, Section 8 challenge on the merits, without stating if the discussion was intended as dictum, an alternative holding, or merely to provide guidance for future cases. The Court noted that Article II, Section 8 prohibits mid-term increases in legislative salary or mileage, but is silent about unvouchered expense allowances. The Court understood the (waived) challenge before it to be that the increased expense allowance during the legislative term provided for in the Compensation Act is additional `salary.' Engaging in a plain meaning analysis, the Court found that this argument ignored the clear differences in the terms salary and unvouchered expense allowances, as the former entailed compensation for services performed, while the latter covered an amount furnished to pay for expenses incurred in the performance of those services. The Court also noted that expense allowances for legislators had been provided by statute since 1956, and that there was also statutory precedent for mid-term augmentation of such allowances. Id. at 336-37. The Court then examined the nature of expense allowances. The Court highlighted the disadvantages of a system where an employee is required to submit vouchers for all expenses, including: the concomitant bookkeeping burden a vouchered system requires for the employer, the time-lag between the employee's expenditure and reimbursement by the employer, and the time expended by the employee in maintaining accurate expense records. The Court further noted that an unvouchered system, providing for a fixed allowance, avoids these burdens: [t]he time and expense involved in bookkeeping is eliminated and the employee is able to devote his full attention to his duties. Id. The Court also recognized that an employee's unvouchered expenditures might be more or less than the fixed allowance, but concluded that such variations were not problematic: As long as the expense allowance fixed is reasonably related to actual expenses, the lack of mathematical precision inherent in such a system does not present a problem. Id. at 337. Finally, the Consumer Party Court considered the appellants' argument that the unvouchered expense allowance was unreasonable and in reality a veiled salary increase which violated Article II, Section 8. The Court did not reject this claim out of hand, but did so for the following, specific reasons: Appellants offer no basis for the conclusion that the expense allowance is not needed and will not be used to pay for the legitimate expenses of the members of the General Assembly. As we previously outlined, the use of expense allowances has long been a tradition in the legislature. Instead appellants argue that those legislators should bear the burden of proving that the expense allowance is reasonable. We disagree with that novel assertion. As we stated above, a party challenging the constitutionality of an act of the General Assembly bears a heavy burden of proof, and legislation will not be declared unconstitutional unless it clearly, palpably and plainly violates the Constitution. Here appellants utterly failed to make any showing that the expense allowance is a sham. This additional argument is therefore meritless. Id. at 337-38 (citations and footnote omitted). In the twenty years since Consumer Party was decided, the Commonwealth Court has twice been called upon to assess Article II, Section 8 challenges to pieces of legislation involving official compensation, legislation that also authorized legislative unvouchered expenses. In both instances, the lower court looked to Consumer Party for guidance and ultimately rejected the constitutional challenge. It is notable that, in both cases, further review was not sought before this Court. See Stilp, 699 A.2d 1353; Kennedy, 119 Pa.Cmwlth. 24, 546 A.2d 733. In Kennedy, the challenged legislation, among other subjects, increased the salaries of legislators by $12,000, to a total of $47,000 per annum, effective after the next election. The legislation also provided for a mid-term unvouchered expense allowance to be paid monthly in the interim, and in an amount equal to the future salary increase ( i.e., $1,000 per month). Applying Consumer Party, the en banc panel held that the unvouchered expenses were not a salary hike and thus did not violate Article II, Section 8. In so holding, the Kennedy court noted that Consumer Party had: emphasized the distinction between salary and expenses; taught that, as long as the expense allowance is reasonably related to actual expenses, mathematical precision is unnecessary; and placed the burden of proving unreasonableness upon the challenger. The en banc panel then summarily rejected the claim as follows: In this case, Petitioners' complaint does not plead that the $1,000.00 expense increase is unreasonable and that a lesser amount would be reasonable. Instead, it attacks, on constitutional grounds, the increase in its entirety as one which is, in reality, a salary hike. We conclude that the above-quoted language [from Consumer Party ] is controlling upon the issue presented here and, thus, fatal to Petitioners' theory of a constitutional violation of Article II, section 8. Kennedy, 546 A.2d at 737. The Commonwealth Court also rejected a similar constitutional challenge in Stilp, 699 A.2d 1353. The public official compensation legislation at issue in that case (Act 51 of 1995) again provided for a mid-term legislative unvouchered expense allowance, to be paid monthly, and in an amount equal to the legislative salary increase made effective following the next election. [34] The legislation further provided to Senators who were elected in 1994 continued unvouchered expenses from December 1, 1996 until November 30, 1998 in an amount equal to their salary increase. Citing Consumer Party and Kennedy, the panel rejected Stilp's argument that the increase in expense allowances should be considered a salary increase on grounds that the increase was calculated under the same formula used for the legislators' cost-of-living adjustments [COLAs]: Merely because the expense allowances and COLAs are determined by using the same formula does not automatically transform the expense allowances into additional salary. Moreover, the COLAs and the expense allowances are calculated using the Consumer Price Index for Urban Consumers. Section 4 of the Law. In our view, it is not unreasonable to augment the Legislators' expense allowance and salary in proportion to actual increases in the cost of living measured by the consumer price index. Id. at 1357. Finally, the panel also rejected Stilp's argument that the unvouchered expense allowances were not reasonably related to actual expenses incurred by legislators: A fair reading of Consumer Party does support the view that an unreasonable expense allowance could be unconstitutional. The Consumer Party Court indicated that a plaintiff asserting that an expense allowance is unreasonable has a heavy burden to prove that the challenged expense allowance is, in reality, not needed and not intended to pay for the legitimate expenses of Legislators, and that it is a sham designed to hide a salary increase. Stilp, however, has not averred any facts in his complaint that could support a cause of action on the theory that the Act 51 expense allowance is unreasonable. Id. (footnote omitted). Act 44 is similar to the legislation at issue in Consumer Party, Kennedy and Stilp in that the challenged provision provides for mid-term payments for unvouchered expenses (not salary or mileage); the unvouchered expense provision is contained in a bill establishing an increase in legislative salaries to take effect after the next election; and the unvouchered expense allowance expires once the legislative salary increase takes effect. There are notable distinctions, however. First, Act 44's unvouchered expense provision does not state an absolute dollar amount of expenses to be afforded legislators. Instead, the amount of the allowance is determined by a formula that refers precisely to the future increase in legislative salary, i.e., the dollar difference between pre-Act 44 legislative salaries and the new salaries that would take effect following the next relevant legislative election. Second, with respect to legislative leaders, the corresponding raw dollar amount of the unvouchered expense allowance was substantially more than was at issue in any of the previous cases. Under the formula adopted by Act 44, the future salary of rank-and-file members of the General Assembly would rise over $11,000, from just under $70,000 per year to just over $81,000 per year. Thus, the mid-term unvouchered expenses authorized by the Act are in excess of $11,000 for each rank-and-file legislator. The amount of mid-term unvouchered expenses made available to legislative leaders and committee chairs, however, was much more dramatic. For example, Act 44 adopted a formula that raised the salaries of the Speaker of the House and the Senate President pro tempore by well over $30,000 per year, and made that very same amount immediately available to those legislators in the guise of mid-term unvouchered expenses. This Court asked the parties to brief the question of whether we should reconsider or overrule Consumer Party and Stilp, Treasurer Casey, and Stilp's amici affirmatively request that we do so. The doctrine of stare decisis maintains that for purposes of certainty and stability in the law, a conclusion reached in one case should be applied to those which follow, if the facts are substantially the same, even though the parties may be different. Burke v. Pittsburgh Limestone Corp., 375 Pa. 390, 100 A.2d 595, 598 (1953). While stare decisis serves invaluable and salutary principles, it is not an inexorable command to be followed blindly when such adherence leads to perpetuating error. See Mayle, 388 A.2d at 720 ([T]he doctrine of stare decisis is not a vehicle for perpetuating error, but rather a legal concept which responds to the demands of justice and, thus, permits the orderly growth processes of the law to flourish.). On the other hand, we recognize the importance of reliance on settled jurisprudence when asked to overturn precedent, and thus there is much force in the legislative leaders' argument that they rely on this Court's interpretation of the law and precedent when crafting legislation, and that such reliance should not be undercut except for good reason. Preliminarily, we should note that, although it is not clear whether the analysis articulated and applied in discussing the Article II, Section 8 challenge in Consumer Party was intended as dicta, general guidance, or an alternative holding, we would not seek to distinguish or narrow it on grounds that it lacked precedential value. The Court saw fit to discuss the constitutional issue, without objection from any participating Justice; the discussion was offered as an explanation of why [n]o purpose would be served in permitting amendment of the complaint to add the waived argument; the issue thus discussed was an important one obviously capable of recurrence; and it has been relied upon. Thus, we shall consider the case square-on. Consumer Party assumed an appropriate deference to the judgment of the General Assembly with respect to mid-term increases in expense allowances, in part because of the salutary presumption of constitutionality, and in part because the Court perceived the legitimate role that unvouchered expenses play where they bear a reasonable relationship to actual expenses. Indeed, the Court addressed at length the putative advantages in not requiring a dollar-for-dollar accounting of expenses. The Court's analysis, however, did not purport to approve of any and all systems covering mid-term unvouchered expenses. To the contrary, the Court made clear that such expenses must bear a reasonable relationship to actual expenses. We see no constitutional infirmity in this general standard as adopted in Consumer Party. Expenses are different from salary. There is, of course, much to be said for transparency in government, particularly when it comes to expenditures, and specific accounting procedures promote that transparency even if such a system requires an expenditure of time and money for accounting purposes. But, absent constitutional infirmity, it is not this Court's role to dictate to a coordinate, coequal branch of government how best to approach the task of accounting for legitimate expenses. Thus, we continue to believe that, as a general matter, unvouchered expense allowances are not per se unconstitutional. Accordingly, we reaffirm the core reasonable relationship standard which was adopted in Consumer Party. [35] Having said this, however, we have no difficulty in finding that the unvouchered expense allowance provided for in Act 44 is constitutionally infirm as it does not bear a reasonable relationship to the actual expenses incurred by individual legislators. To better frame the inquiry, we begin by emphasizing what the Court in Consumer Party did not say. In point of fact, the amount of the unvouchered expense allowance at issue in Consumer Party was not the same as the future legislative salary increase provided in that legislation (the salary increase was $10,000, while the unvouchered expense allowance was half that amount). More importantly, this Court never held, stated, or implied that any particular amount authorized for mid-term unvouchered expenses was constitutionally valid under the reasonable relationship standard and Article II, Section 8 of the Pennsylvania Constitution. Equally as important, and contrary to the present argument of the Speaker, this Court certainly did not hold, state or imply that mid-term unvouchered expense allowances for the Legislature comply with Article II, Section 8 so long as they are in the same amount as a future salary increase included in the same legislation. Thus, when the Speaker asks for a dependable Article II, Section 8 ruling on the continued constitutionality of those unvouchered expense allocations in the amount of the future pay raise, Speaker Perzel's Brief at 26 (emphasis added), he has misperceived the inquiry. Consumer Party never said or suggested that such a system was constitutionally valid. Senator Jubelirer, in his summary of Consumer Party, notes the reasonable relationship test stated therein, but he never argues that such a relationship exists with respect to Act 44. Speaker Perzel, on the other hand, never acknowledges this standard set forth in Consumer Party, instead focusing upon the facts alone, and suggesting incorrectly that the case thereby stands for the proposition that mid-term unvouchered expenses are constitutional under Article II, Section 8 so long as they are in the same amount as the future legislative salary increase provided in the legislation. Because the legislative leaders overlook or misconstrue the actual holding of Consumer Party, they provide no relevant rebuttal to Stilp's claim. [36] This Court recognizes that, as the challenger of presumptively constitutional legislation, Stilp properly bears the burden of proof here. Consumer Party, 507 A.2d at 337. However, it is notable that the legislative parties do not dispute his claim that the unvouchered expenses authorized by Act 44 are not reasonably related to the actual, and otherwise-unreimbursed, expenses incurred by legislators in the discharge of their public duties. Moreover, if the unvouchered expense allowance could plausibly be explained as intended to cover actual expenses, rather than to serve as additional salary, we have no doubt that this proposition would be an easy matter for the legislative parties to demonstrate. And, as the parties uniquely in a position to provide such proof, the failure to so argue, or to forward such a proffer, is significant notwithstanding Stilp's ultimate burden. Also, with respect to Stilp's burden of proof, we are presented with arguments that were not forwarded or discussed in Consumer Party, including Stilp's focus on the fact that the staggered timing of the expiration of the unvouchered expenses prove they serve as additional salary. Stilp also properly relies on the fact, which was not available to the challengers in Consumer Party, of intervening legislation, such as was at issue in Kennedy and Stilp, which tied the amount of mid-term provisions for unvouchered expenses precisely to the amount provided as a future increase in legislative compensation, and provided that the unvouchered expenses would expire once the new salaries took effect. The practice has become so fixed, indeed, that the Speaker, in this case, has misread Consumer Party itself as approving any amount of mid-term unvouchered expense allowance so long as the amount is the same as the future increase in salary, even though the case said no such thing, and the facts could not have supported such a holding. [37] In any event, any claim of a congruence between actual unreimbursed expenses incurred by legislators and the unvouchered allowances provided under Act 44 to defray those expenses would challenge belief, and particularly with respect to the unvouchered expense allowances made available to legislative leaders. The $11,000 provided the rank-and-file was on top of, and well in excess of, the $7,500 already provided for vouchered expenses, and indeed represented approximately 16% of their then-authorized salaries. The amount of unvouchered expenses provided legislative leaders (the Speaker and Senate President pro tempore, and the majority and minority leaders), meanwhile, was well in excess of $30,000 (three times the unvouchered expenses provided to the rank-and-file), and represented over 30% of their existing salaries. In light of Stilp's unrebutted argument, appellees' silence on Consumer Party's reasonable relationship test, the reference to the new salary formula to compute the mid-term unvouchered expense allowance, the dollar-for-dollar congruence between the unvouchered expense allowance and the new salary formula, the fact that the expense allotment expires once the new salary takes effect, and the sheer amount of the authorized allowance, we hold that Stilp has carried his burden of proving that the legislative unvouchered expense allowance provided in Act 44, ง 2 (amending 46 Pa.C.S. ง 1107), in fact represented a mid-term increase in legislative salary which clearly, palpably, and plainly violated the proscription in Article II, Section 8 of the Pennsylvania Constitution. Accordingly, we will grant the relief requested by Stilp, in part, and declare Section 2 of Act 44 amending 46 Pa.C.S. ง 1107 unconstitutional.