HARRISBURG -- The number of House Democrats who are calling for Bill DeWeese to resign as majority leader is growing.

Two Democrats from Eastern Pennsylvania, Reps. Bill Keller of Philadelphia and John Yudichak of Luzerne, urged Mr. DeWeese on Wednesday to step down in the wake of the "Bonusgate" allegations and arrests.

Then yesterday, Rep. Harry Readshaw, D-Carrick, joined them. The arrests of 12 present or former Democratic legislators and staff members last week are "a humiliation that will take years to reverse," he said. "Our credibility as lawmakers was trampled in the public's eyes."

Mr. Keller and Mr. Yudichak told the online news service Capitolwire that they, along with Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Squirrel Hill, had urged Mr. DeWeese to quit at a closed caucus meeting in January. Mr. Frankel said he doesn't discuss events that occurred at private party caucuses but admitted their comments were "generally accurate."

Democrats now control the House by a narrow margin of 102-101, but many of them fear they will lose control after the Nov. 4 election. Republicans need a net gain of only one more seat in order to win back power, which they had from 1994 to 2006.

Mr. Readshaw said, "Responsibility lies with the Democratic leader -- at least it should, but in this instance the buck is being passed." He noted that Democratic President Harry Truman had a sign on his desk saying: "The buck stops here."

Mr. DeWeese, D-Waynesburg, has steadfastly maintained he did nothing wrong in regard to Bonusgate and has refused to resign as House leader. He said he knew nothing about the thousands of dollars in taxpayer-funded bonuses that were allegedly given to House legislative staffers for working on political campaigns. If proven in court, such actions would be illegal.

"Whether the Democratic leader was knowledgeable of the alleged corruption or ignorant of it, he should be held accountable that it evolved under his leadership," Mr. Readshaw said.

"The most honorable approach would be for the leader to acknowledge that gross error and step down."

Mr. DeWeese told The Associated Press that he thinks state Attorney General Tom Corbett's report last week on the alleged illegal bonuses "vindicates me," and that he and other Democratic leaders "handled this terrible crisis in the best way conceivable."