Thanksgiving has passed, we’re heading for Christmas and the Pennsylvania General Assembly has quietly ended its 2019-20 session.
2020, of course, has been a year like no other. The pandemic forced the Legislature to implement virtual voting for the first time. The schedule interruptions caused the Legislature to hold a “sine die” session for the first time since the infamous pay raise votes almost 15 years ago.
The economic collapse caused by the Wolf shutdowns and lockdowns required them to pass a five-month spending plan, or interim budget, in June. In their sine die session, they adopted a budget for the rest of the fiscal year.
Thankfully that budget contained no new taxes and held the line on spending. There’s undoubtedly going to be some belt-tightening required in 2021 as the fallout from the lockdowns and shuttering of the economy continues to reverberate.
There were some legislative accomplishments, but much of the session was marked by legislative frustration with a governor who refused to acknowledge their rightful and proper role in determining public policy.
Throughout the spring and into the summer and fall, Tom Wolf and Dr. Rachel Levine issued edict after edict without so much as consulting with the Legislature. As the overreaches mounted and more people were put out of work, the Legislature did its best to rein in Wolf’s encroachments and get folks back to work.
Unfortunately, their initiatives, passed with bipartisan support, were vetoed by Wolf or stricken by the Democrat-controlled Supreme Court.
Wolf and Levine even moved elderly Pennsylvanians from hospitals to long-term care facilities (not before Levine got her mother out of one and into a high-class hotel) thereby dramatically increasing fatalities. Yet there wasn’t much that the Legislature, the people’s elected representatives, could do given the court rulings and Wolf’s veto pen.
Some new legislative heroes emerged as a result of this. Ordinarily, freshman members don’t find themselves leading the fight. But newly elected Sen. Dave Arnold from Lebanon County, which was especially targeted by Tom Wolf for vindictive and punitive actions, held strong on the local level. Another Senate newcomer, Doug Mastriano, took his efforts statewide, holding rallies and letting the voice of the people be heard.
The session was not without its share of political theatrics, shenanigans and power shifts.
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There was a moment when a Democrat senator refused to yield the floor for a privileged motion by the Majority Leader, something she was required by the rules to do. The national media seized upon the moment to try to make Sen. Jake Corman look bad, using edited clips of him shouting down a woman senator. But that wasn’t the true story. Sen. Corman was right. Rules matter.
More recently members of the Legislative Black Caucus commandeered the rostrum, blocking the Speaker from convening the daily session. They demanded legislation they wanted to get passed come to the floor immediately, something they had not been able to accomplish through regular order. Their actions were in direct violation of several rules of the House.
In a time where lawlessness is increasingly pervasive in society, it’s especially important that the rule of law and the rules of the body be followed by our legislators. To permit otherwise would allow the greatest democratic bodies in history to devolve into anarchy.
As the session ended there was one item on the table that should have been a no-brainer. Criminal justice reform has been a bi-partisan cause at both the state and federal level. A reform of the probation system in Pennsylvania would allow for more safety in our society, a substantial savings to taxpayers and a better way of treating ex-offenders.
One proposal, sponsored by both Democrats and Republicans, passed the Senate unanimously. Tragically, it never got voted on in the House. A single committee chairman was able to hold it up. Unquestionably it would have passed had it been brought up for a vote.
Among the quiet criticism of the bill was that it had support from liberals or some who took over the rostrum a few months previous. But it also had the support of the American Conservative Union, Americans for Prosperity, The Commonwealth Foundation and a host of other conservative organizations and individuals. Narrow focus didn’t serve the citizens of the Commonwealth well.
There were some significant legislative leadership shifts, too. In mid-session, the Speaker of the House resigned to pursue a career in the private sector. The President Pro Tempore of the Senate announced that he’ll be retiring at the end of the Session. A woman will now be the Majority Leader in the Senate, a historic first, and another will be the Minority Leader in the House.
For many, 2020 can’t end soon enough. The Legislature just got to do it before the rest of us.
Charlie Gerow is a Republican strategist and CEO of Quantum Communications. He and Democrat Mark Singel write opposite each other each week on PennLive. They can also been seen each Sunday morning at 8:30 on CBS-21′s Face the State.
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November 29, 2020 at 09:00PM
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