FEATURE Long Odds in the Legislative Process S BY LARRY LIGHT ports are an important part of our lives where your success rate is a traditional measure of competence. If you bat .300 (30%) or make free throws at a 90% rate you're doing pretty good, maybe even an all-star. In our data-driven era quarterback ratings and wins above replacement are important statistics. Politics is a little different. In politics the target is a success rate of 50%. You need to convince 50.1% of the citizens who voted that you are the best candidate. When you are elected and serve in the General Assembly, the baseline for success is set by the Constitution. To approve legislation the numbers are 102, 26 & 1. You need 102 votes in the House and 26 votes in the Senate, one more than half of the members in each chamber. And then you need a 100% win, the approval of one individual, the Governor, for a bill to become law. 28 Lehigh County Health & Medicine | WINTER 2019