Pennsylvania House in Turmoil as Political Maneuvers Halt Business
The door to the “a href=” was opened for the first and only time in my memories.https://www.theepochtimes.com/t-pennsylvania”>Pennsylvania The House chamber was ordered to be locked when it is not in session. After House Republicans posted a photo Monday showing them sitting in their respective places, ready to work in a special session called for by the exiting Democrat Governor, Mark Rozzi, Democratic House Speaker of the House, issued the order. Tom Wolf. The Republicans were joined by an empty half-chamber, with unfilled chairs. This is where Democrats usually sit.
“Pursuant to House customs and precedents, the Speaker is charged with maintaining order and decorum in the House of Representatives. On the evening of Monday, January 9, 2023, decorum was breached when a caucus used the chamber for a publicity stunt,” Rozzi wrote the note in a note addressed to House members. “The House of Representatives is a sacred chamber to be used for conducting the people’s business, not for partisan gamesmanship. To prevent future breaches of decorum, I have ordered the doors of the house to be locked when the house is not in session. …We collectively can and must do better. Let us tone down the partisanship and sincerely work together to move Pennsylvania forward.”
Wolf requested the special session of the General Assembly—House and Senate—to ask them to propose a constitutional amendment to retroactively extend the timeline for victims of childhood sexual abuse to file civil actions.
The House was scheduled to meet Monday at noon, but it went into recess after Bryan Cutler (a Republican) noted that the House hadn’t yet met to discuss rules for regular sessions. Cutler asked for rules to govern the special session. The question was unanswered. Rozzi claimed that the recess would be over by 3 p.m., but the time it took to reconvene was delayed several times until 7 :45 p.m. which is when the day ended.
Majority Rule
The Pennsylvania House is stuck within a holding pattern, while a terrible power struggle over the leadership continues.
The balance of power is crucial because the majority party decides what legislation is passed in committees and which is brought up for consideration by the full House. The minority can have difficulty advancing items on its agenda if parties are unwilling to compromise.
The House had a strong Republican majority during the last session, but it now finds itself in an unusual situation.
After the November election, there were 101 Republican and 102 Democrat House Seats. A thin Democrat majority was met with enthusiasm by the party that had remained in the minority from 2011.
Democrats have named Rep. Joanna McClinton party leader.
However, one Democrat seat was vacant due to long-time Democrat Rep. Anthony M. “Tony” DeLuca died shortly after the ballots had been printed. Posthumously, voters chose DeLuca. Two other seats were also vacated immediately by candidates who ran to two offices and then left the House seats to run for higher office. Democratic Rep. Austin Davis is now lieutenant Governor, while Democratic Rep. Summer Lee is currently in Congress.
The House was left with three empty seats and 99 Democrats, 101 Republicans, and three open seats. This gave Republicans the majority. However, Democrats claim that the voters want Democrats to be the ruling party. The Democrat strongholds have the vacant seats.
McClinton demanded a special vote in February. Cutler, however, challenged that request in Commonwealth Court. Cutler claimed that she was not authorized to call for special elections because McClinton had not been a majority leader when she called.
In December, the Pennsylvania Legislative Reference Bureau published an opinion stating that Democrats do not have a majority.
Cutler requested the court to stop the February 7 special elections. He claims that it could be illegal and filed court papers supporting his request.
The Department of State is already handling the special election. Democrats say that Pennsylvanians will not have representation for too long if there is no special election.
Republicans wanted to delay the special election so that they could start the session in majority. But, so far it is not working out.
Wednesday’s arguments were heard by the Court. Friday the court issued a decision denying Cutler’s request. It ordered the special elections be held on Feb. 7.
Rozzi asked to step down
The House elected Mark Rozzi to be the next Speaker last week. Jim Gregory, a Republican Representative, nominated Rozzi as a Democrat. Both men were victims of childhood sexual abuse and have been eager to pass that constitutional amendment to retroactively extend the timeline for victims of childhood sexual abuse to file civil actions—the action Wolf urged the General Assembly to tackle in a special session. This proposal must pass both chambers. It must also be promoted to the public as an item on the state ballot. The measure will not be passed if it is not completed within the given time frame. It would take several years before the measure could be reintroduced to the voters.
Rozzi, upon accepting the speakership, declared that he would act independently and not join any party.
Now it has 101 Republicans and 98 Democrats plus one Independent. If all three of the vacant seats were to be filled by Democrats, the House would split evenly, with one Independent.
Gregory requested Rozzi to resign from his position as speaker in a Jan. 9 correspondence. Rozzi stated that he had promised Gregory that Independent would be his new home, but that Rozzi was not ready to give up the gavel. Rozzi explained to Gregory that he hadn’t been thinking about changing.
“The bonds of trust between friends—as close as you and I have been—are now broken,” Gregory wrote. “As a result of your broken promises, I must sadly and respectfully ask for you to immediately resign the office of Speaker.”
The Epoch Times did not reach Rozzi for comment.
Senate Actions
Three constitutional amendments were approved Wednesday by the Republican-led Senate, with the House drama as a backdrop.
They are a requirement for the Auditor General’s office to audit every election; to allow the General Assembly to change regulations by a majority vote, instead of a two-thirds vote as a workaround for a governor’s veto; and the amendment to retroactively extend the timeline for victims of childhood sexual abuse to file civil actions.
The House would need to approve all three for the House to function.
Wolf apparently unhappy, made a brief statement.
“It’s time to stop the games, put everything else aside, and work together to get the statute of limitations amendment on the ballot this May,” Wolf wrote. “This special session is meant to provide a mechanism to help prevent this bipartisan issue from becoming entangled with partisan topics. Last fall, we promised action to get this done. I’m asking Republican and Democratic leaders in the General Assembly to complete this vital work. Answer the call you signed up for as elected officials and public servants. Pennsylvania is waiting.”
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