Free Republic

An experiment in bipartisan government in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives is less than a week old, and cracks are beginning to appear. If the compromise falls apart, the chamber will be plunged into chaos. Republican and Democratic leaders, at Speaker Mark Rozzi’s request, must find a way to move forward together, if they plan to serve the people of Pennsylvania this session. It’s time for Mr. Rozzi to honor the commitments he made in accepting the role of speaker, especially his pledge to change his registration from Democrat to Independent as a symbol of unity. After last week’s display...

HARRISBURG — If House Republicans are successful in getting the special elections for two Allegheny County-based House districts delayed until May, the results of a Senate special election could lead to a whole new level of chaos in the power struggle in the state House. Republicans are clinging to a 101-99 advantage, with three special elections looming in seats vacated by Democrats. If Democrats win all three of those races, as expected, the Democrats will reclaim the majority in the chamber for the first time in more than a decade. One of those special elections — to fill the vacancy...

Frustrations over some lawmakers’ refusal to wear masks to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives chamber brought action to brief halt on Tuesday. House Democratic Leader Joanna McClinton of Philadelphia pointed out to House Speaker Bryan Cutler, R-Lancaster County, that she counted over 30 members on the House floor who were unmasked in violation of the bipartisan-backed policy approved last summer requiring face coverings on the House floor during session. Cutler, standing at the rostrum looking down over the chamber with a mask covering his face, said, “Obviously I have a slightly different viewpoint being...

‘If they have nothing to hide, why are they hiding from us’

here (NOW!) pahousegop.com

Democrats, Republicans see state House control as grand prize Published: Monday, October 04, 2010, 10:24 PM, Updated: Tuesday, October 05, 2010, 8:27 AM JAN MURPHY, The Patriot-News The battle for control of the state House of Representatives is on. Republicans see nothing standing in the way of them regaining the majority after four years of Democratic control. If the GOP picks up at least three House seats on Nov. 2, Republicans will reclaim the majority. Democrats, meanwhile, anticipate no scenario in which they lose the majority. For them, it’s a matter of how many more seats they add to the...

For much of the evening Tuesday, any one of four candidates were in line to win the Republican nomination for the 199th Legislative District seat. North Middleton Township resident and local attorney Stephen Bloom appears to have emerged victorious in the seven-way Republican primary to earn the nomination. As of Wednesday morning, all absentee ballots have been included in the results. Bloom won the 199th race by 284 votes, unofficially, with 2,163 votes. Denny Lebo had 1,879. The county board of elections will meet at 9 a.m. May 25 to certify ballot results. They will then be sent to the...

McCall won't run for 15th term in state House Carbon Democrat who became speaker in 2008 says he'll devote time to family. HARRISBURG - Putting a cap on three decades in public life, state House Speaker Keith McCall, D-Carbon, said Tuesday he will not run for re-election this fall.

HARRISBURG — Just four months after lawmakers voted themselves a pay raise, they are poised to scrap the extra income to appease a disgruntled public and relentless negative press. While the House and Senate still need to iron out language differences in their respective pay-raise repeal bills, both have approved such a repeal and it seems a certainty that the raises will be stripped in the days ahead. The House voted Monday night to reject a Senate version of the pay raise repeal measure, sending the issue to a joint House and Senate conference committee. The sticking point between the...

HARRISBURG, Pa. - A Pennsylvania House session was suspended for more than an hour Wednesday after a black lawmaker, upset by a white colleague's comments about ethnic groups, referred to him as a "cracker." The comments came during debate on a bill that would allow residents of communities governed by homeowners' associations to fly the American flag on their property, even if association rules prohibited them from doing so. Rep. Thomas Yewcic, who is white, said people shouldn't be ashamed to support the American flag. "If any ethnic group wants to fly ... a flag, and they're embarrassed to fly...