Lancaster County GOP lawmakers blast House Democrats for scheduling months-long recess

• By Jaxon White/LNP | LancasterOnline

Lancaster County Republican lawmakers are criticizing the Democratic leaders of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for scheduling a three-month break from mid-December to March 18.

State Sens. Ryan Aument and Scott Martin said House Democrats scheduled the long break because they anticipate losing their 102-101 voting majority on Dec. 15 — when Bucks County Democratic state Rep. John Galloway is expected to step down to assume a district judge position he won in last month’s election.

Galloway’s departure marks the third time this year that the House was left without a working majority after one or more lawmakers resigned.

“By not coming to work for 3 straight months, even while important legislative business remains incomplete, House Democrats have exposed their true intentions – to retain their own power even if that comes at the cost of Pennsylvanians,” said Aument, a West Hempfield Township Republican. He also took to social media platform X on Tuesday to voice his disapproval.

The governor claims he wants to get stuff done. The Pa House Democratic majority doesn’t appear to share his vision. They should consult the folks who repaired I95 so quickly, fix that ceiling and get back to work.

I look forward to the forthcoming @LancasterOnline editorial. pic.twitter.com/TbVdn3MHUp

— Sen. Ryan P. Aument (@SenatorAument) December 5, 2023

Speaker Joanna McClinton, a Philadelphia Democrat whose leadership role gives her the power to set the House calendar, sent an email to lawmakers on Tuesday saying the lengthy recess is needed to allow repair of a “severe water leak in the top floor of the Main Capitol Building.”

The Speaker’s Office said it first found out about the damage in the summer and scheduled an extra session week in December to make up for the time its members would be out of Harrisburg for the repairs, said House Democratic spokeswoman Nicole Reigelman in a Wednesday email.

“Any projected vacancies in this state House played no role in determining the repair project’s timeline,” Reigelman said.

But Aument and Martin said they are skeptical about that explanation.

“The idea that it will take three months to fix a leaky ceiling is absurd,” said Martin, a Martic Township Republican. “This has nothing to do with renovations and everything to do with partisan politics, and blaming yet another prolonged absence on anything else is an insult to the people they were elected to represent.”

Erik Veronikis, a spokesman for the Department of General Services, said the repairs are to fix a heating coil that burst above the House Chamber ceiling. Repairs will cost an estimated $150,000 and begin on Jan. 5 and finish on March 18.

The House will convene for two non-voting sessions during the months-long break: Jan. 2 and Feb. 6, for Gov. Josh Shapiro’s annual budget address. The Senate is scheduled to meet three days in each of the first three months of 2024, according to its online calendar.

Ongoing impasse

A debate between House Democrats and Senate Republicans on whether to include a taxpayer-funded private school voucher program in the state budget has stalled passage of several code bills that must be enacted before budgeted funds can be spent.

Gov. Josh Shapiro’s budget secretary, Uri Monson, published a letter in August that listed spending items that remain on hold without implementing language, including Level-Up, which provides extra money to underfunded public schools.

Without a fiscal code, Spotlight PA reported last week that some small nonprofits have not received regular funding from the state.

The Senate and House are both scheduled to meet in Harrisburg Dec. 11 to 13, but it is unclear whether the chambers will agree on the remaining code bills.

Jason Gottesman; a spokesperson for House Republican Leader Bryan Cutler, of Drumore Township, said only that the schedule was set “exclusively” by McClinton’s office.

“Understanding that significant work needs to be done to repair water damage to the House chamber, while also recognizing that much unfinished work remains legislatively, House Republicans are prepared to ensure the voices of their districts are heard during any scheduled session days,” Gottesman said.