Legislature ends COVID disaster declaration

By ERIC SEIVERLING

eseiverling@yourmvi.com

Pennsylvania lawmakers have voted to end Gov. Tom Wolf’s pandemic disaster emergency declaration.

In place since March 6 of last year, the pandemic emergency declaration was a point of contention between Democrats, who feel it provided assistance during an emergency, and Republicans who said the declaration overstepped the government’s reach by closing businesses and schools.

The declaration will end immediately. During the state’s May 18 primary elections, voters approved an amendment to the state’s Constitution that gives the General Assembly the power to terminate or extend a disaster emergency declaration or a portion of such a declaration without the approval of the governor.

The Senate voted Thursday to end the emergency declaration, with one Democrat joining Republicans and the chamber’s lone independent.

The House voted down the declaration on Tuesday.

“The voters spoke on May 18 and this is what they wanted,” said Rep. Eric Davanzo, R-South Huntingdon. “This is important for me to follow through with that. They wanted their freedoms back.

“I’m not saying they disagreed with everything. But when you have a governor telling people how many guests they can have over for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, that’s not right. He didn’t really have any scientific data behind what he did.”

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