Wolf’s veto of high school sports bill stands

By JEFF STITT
jstitt@yourmvi.com

Pennsylvania House Republicans on Wednesday failed to override Gov. Tom Wolf’s veto of House Bill 2787.
The legislation would have authorized school districts to establish their own spectator limits for athletic events outside of state control. It was first drafted after the governor imposed strict gathering limits of 250 individuals outdoors and 25 indoors.
Still, some Pennsylvania school districts are permitting more fans in the stands in the wake of a federal judge’s recent ruling that tossed statewide pandemic limits on crowd size.
The state Department of Education has asked schools to voluntarily comply with Wolf’s since-invalidated gathering restrictions, which had been set at 25 indoors and 250 outdoors until last week’s court ruling that such limits were unconstitutional.
The Wolf administration is appealing that ruling, but some school districts have already opted to go their own way, including the Belle Vernon Area School District, which is allowing 627 spectators at home football games at James Weir Stadium, according to a letter written and posted to the district website by Superintendent Dr. Michele Dowell.
Each BVA football player, cheerleader and band member will be provided two tickets. The visiting district will be provided with 120 tickets.
That will leave 45 tickets for BVA Administrators, school board directors and other guests, BVA’s website states.
Like other districts, Ringgold was waiting to see how the House voted Wednesday before making any decisions about expanding the number of people permitted to attend sporting events.
As a result of the House measure’s failure, Ringgold intends to distribute one ticket to each football player, cheerleader and band member.
The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, the governing body for school sports, told member schools that Wolf’s caps aren’t mandatory, “at least for the moment,” and that each school can make its own decision on crowds at games.
“If schools decide to increase the 25/250 limits, they should exercise caution and good judgment in setting numbers for attendance at indoor and outdoor sports,” wrote the PIAA’s executive director, Robert Lombardi.
Pennsylvania State Athletic Directors Association Executive Director Holly Farnese said that schools can “safely work spectator events.”
Athletic directors don’t want to go against the governor, she said, but “it’s really tough to tell parents they can’t come and watch their children play.”
HB 2787 passed the House earlier this month with 150 “yes” votes, but the override tally, 130-71, fell slightly short of the super-majority required.
The sponsor, Rep. Mike Reese, R-Mt. Pleasant Township, called the proposal to stop Wolf’s veto a return to common sense.
Although Democrats are in the minority in the House and Senate, Wolf has not lost an override vote since he became governor.
At a news conference Tuesday, Wolf said he monitored attendance at football games last weekend — days after the judge’s ruling — and said “there were very few schools, if any, that had big, big crowds at their events.”
He surmised that people “self-regulated” and stayed away to avoid crowds.
“Throughout this pandemic, my administration has maintained that school districts should have local control on decisions over school sports and extra-curricular activities and has no intention of changing course on this recommendation,” Wolf said Wednesday. “The bill would have done nothing more than create legislation for something that already exists. Instead of wasting time on a veto override attempt on a superfluous bill, the Republican Legislature needs to start taking this pandemic seriously by focusing on the health and safety of our children, staff and teachers in their learning environments, minimizing exposure to COVID-19, and preventing the spread of this deadly virus.”
Local Republican lawmakers Rep. Eric Davanzo of South Huntingdon, Rep. Bud Cook of West Pike Run Township and Rep. Mike Puskaric of Finleyville, maintained their yes votes for the legislation and to override the veto.
State Rep. Bill Kortz, D-Dravosburg, is one of the bill’s sponsors and voted Wednesday to override the veto.
“Our school districts know best, and while today’s vote was extremely disappointing, I still believe we can and must support our districts to do what’s right and make their own decisions,” Kortz said. “The governor doesn’t know our school district facilities or communities and he should not have the final say on this. It doesn’t matter if it’s football, band, cheerleading, cross-country or choir, it’s time we let local officials make local decisions without infringement.”
State Rep. Austin Davis, D-McKeesport, voted in favor of the bill Sept. 2, but on Wednesday voted against overriding Wolf’s veto.
In a phone interview with the Mon Valley Independent, Davis said he wants to make it clear that he’s not opposed to student athletes playing sports or spectators being permitted into sporting events and that he voted against overriding the veto because he thinks House Republicans were playing politics.
“What took place in the House chamber today was not legislative by any means. It was simply an opportunity to take a jab at the governor and make an already difficult situation worse,” Davis said.

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