As state government moves into budget season next week, two Allegheny County lawmakers of opposing political parties are urging their colleagues to cut what the Legislature spends on itself by 20 percent.

“It will be very important for anyone who wants my vote on the budget,” said Rep. Matt Smith, a Mt. Lebanon Democrat who teamed with Republican Rep. Randy Vulakovich of Shaler in calling for a reduction in the Legislature’s $333 million budget.

Both are first-term lawmakers, and their chance of pushing through a 20 percent spending cut is slim, said Jack Treadway, chairman of the political science department at Kutztown State University.  read more »