HARRISBURG – The top Republican in PA‘s Democrat-controlled House is warning of potential chaos when state lawmakers reconvene next week, six weeks after they elected a speaker and left the Capitol without doing any other business. House Republican Leader, Rep. Bryan Cutler of Lancaster County says the chamber’s razor-thin majority of just one seat may not be able to solve the gridlock that so far has prevented the House from even passing operating rules for the 2023-24 session. “The speaker hijacked the chamber with broken promises and he has held the will of Pennsylvanians hostage ever since,” Cutler said. Few bills are usually voted on by the full House early in a legislative session, but even preliminary work has been frozen because operating rules also determine the partisan makeup of committees. Since early January, PA House Speaker, Berks County Rep. Mark Rozzi has been holding public meetings with six state Reps., three from each party, that he assembled to develop what he calls the “Rozzi rules.” Nothing has been made public and it’s unclear whether he will be able to wrangle a majority to adopt his rules next week. Rozzi has said the House won’t take up legislation until lawmakers pass his signature issue: a two year window to let victims of child sexual abuse sue for otherwise outdated claims.
REP. MARK ROZZI
REP. BRYAN CUTLER