15 February 2023- The Pennsylvania Legislature is STILL in recess until next week. That means no bills can move forward, whether that is to the opposite chamber or up to Governor Shapiro. Even though the body as a whole is not together, the committees underneath the legislature as a whole are still meeting, including the House Republican Policy Committee. That committee features numerous local legislators, including Representatives Torren Ecker and Rich Irvin.
One of the numerous topics on the docket today was the crisis continuing with a lack of first responders throughout the Commonwealth. Using that platform, Republican Leader Bryan Cutler and Policy Chairman Joshua Kail continued to push for legislators to get back to work in Harrisburg. Full release from the committee is below.
Following today’s hearing on emergency first responders in crisis within our Commonwealth, House Republican Leader Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster) and House Republican Policy Committee Chairman Joshua D. Kail (R-Beaver/Washington) held a press conference to push House Speaker Mark Rozzi (D-Berks) and Democrat lawmakers to get back to work immediately so the chamber can pass legislation that eases the burdens on our local heroes.
“At a time when the Speaker of the House has refused to take the steps necessary to do the work of the people, Chairman Kail and his committee are refusing to take ‘no’ for an answer,” said Cutler. “The Policy committee continues to work diligently, in different parts of our Commonwealth to better understand what Pennsylvanians are truly experiencing. That is our job as elected leaders, and I hope the Speaker and House Democrats will learn from Chairman Kail’s example and finally allow our chamber to get back to work.”
Kail expressed that the chamber can create meaningful change, but it comes down to Democrats having a similar mindset as Republicans.
“Our emergency first responders go above and beyond to ensure our communities are safe, and we must act swiftly to alleviate the obstacles they face,” said Kail. “While the Democrats have played political mind games and wasted precious time, my colleagues and I have been proactive in learning how we can accomplish the people’s work.”
