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What We’re Hearing
“We’ve talked the talk — now it’s time to walk the walk, together, one last time, for the victims of childhood sexual abuse.” – Mark Rozzi

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Top Story

1. Wolf Calls For Special Session Of General Assembly

As his tenure as Governor of Pennsylvania draws to a close, Tom Wolf issued a proclamation calling for a special session of the General Assembly.

The session would be held on Monday to propose a constitutional amendment to retroactively extend the timeline for victims of childhood sexual abuse to file civil actions.

“For far too many Pennsylvanians, justice and healing for the pain they’ve experienced is out of reach,” said Wolf. “This special session is a critical step to allow the General Assembly to focus their work on this important, and potentially life-saving, task. No survivor should be denied the chance to hold their abuser accountable, regardless of how much time has passed.” (PoliticsPA)

Related

New PA Speaker Puts Sexual Abuse Lawsuit Window Atop Agenda. “Pennsylvania’s new state House speaker declared Friday that no other legislation will be taken up by his chamber until it approves a constitutional amendment granting child sexual abuse victims the power to file what would otherwise be outdated claims.” (Associated Press)

Wolf Recalls PA General Assembly To Pass Sexual Abuse Constitutional Amendment. “Whether they like it or not, Pennsylvania’s General Assembly will return to Harrisburg on Monday with one job: consider a long-promised constitutional amendment to reopen the window for childhood sexual abuse survivors to file civil suits.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Wolf Asks PA Legislature To Advance Relief For Child Sex Abuse Survivors During Special Session. “In likely one of his last acts in office, Gov. Tom Wolf has asked the Pennsylvania legislature to gather for a special session Monday to pass a constitutional amendment allowing adult victims of childhood sexual abuse to sue the perpetrators.” (Spotlight PA)

Harrisburg

2. Does Rozzi’s Record Back Up His ‘Independent’ Pledge?

“State Rep. Mark Rozzi (D-Berks) was swept into the Pennsylvania House speakership as an auspice of an independent and moderating force.

His record, to varying degrees, reflects this pledge.” (Bucks County Courier Times)

Related

What New PA House Speaker Mark Rozzi’s Voting Record Tells Us About How Independent He Is. “We collected the data from every vote cast in the last 10 years. Here’s what we learned about Rozzi.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

The Behind-The-Scenes Story Of Mark Rozzi’s Surprising Rise To PA House Speaker. “His path to holding the speaker’s gavel showcases not only the backroom dealmaking that can determine so much about power and policy in Harrisburg, but also the many divides, both between and within parties, that have riven Pennsylvania’s General Assembly in recent years.” (Spotlight PA)

A Black Lawmaker From Philly Was In Line To Be PA’s First Female House Speaker. They Elected A White Guy Instead. “Another white man. That’s who was elected Tuesday to serve as the Pennsylvania House speaker, despite Democrats’ winning a majority of seats in the state House and planning to install the state’s first Black female speaker.” (Philadelphia Inquirer) 

Around The Commonwealth

3. Perry Won’t Recuse Himself From Investigating Jan. 6 Probe That Looked Into Him

“Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) on Sunday refused to commit to recusing himself from a potential House probe into the federal investigations of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, despite being a subject of the investigations himself.” (Axios)

Related

Fetterman Announces Staff Hires. “Pennsylvania U.S. Senator John Fetterman announced over a dozen staff hires on Friday as he continues to build out teams in Washington, D.C. and throughout the Commonwealth.” (PoliticsPA)

Smucker Running For House Budget Chair. “The House Republican Steering Committee will meet today to vote on chairs for some key panels. This session was delayed from December, when Kevin McCarthy was busy whipping votes for the speakership. Now that that’s over with, the Republican Conference has to make some tough choices.” (Punchbowl News)

‘He Did Not Bend. He Did Not Bow’: Biden Honors Ex-Philly Elections Official Al Schmidt. “In a grave White House ceremony Friday, President Joe Biden awarded one of the nation’s highest civilian honors to former Philadelphia City Commissioner Al Schmidt and other elections administrators, public officials, and law enforcement officers who either resisted attempts to usurp the 2020 presidential election or fought back against rioters at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Majority Of 16K Canceled Mail-In Ballots Came From Dems. “New data from Pennsylvania’s elections agency shows an early November state court decision that barred mail-in ballots without accurate handwritten dates on their exterior envelopes resulted in otherwise valid votes being thrown out.” (Associated Press)

PA’s LGBTQ Caucus Changes Up Leadership. “The Pennsylvania Legislature’s LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus recently changed over its leadership; state Reps. Malcolm Kenyatta and Jessica Benham, who represent Philadelphia and Allegheny counties, respectively, are the new leaders of the caucus. Both Kenyatta and Benham are out members of the LGBTQ community.” (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)

New Year Brings New Faces And New Politics To Western PA. “After a midterm election with several surprising results, Southwestern Pennsylvania is poised to see a new class of politicians and a different political makeup beginning this year.” (Tribune-Review)

NEPA’s State Lawmakers Discuss Priorities Amid Divided PA General Assembly. “In eight days, Pennsylvania will still have a Democratic governor and a divided General Assembly. Just not the same Democratic governor and divided assembly.” (Times-Tribune)

Lycoming County To Start Hand Recount Of Its 2020 Presidential Election Results. “More than two years after the last ballot was cast in the 2020 election, Lycoming County plans to recount all presidential votes by hand — an extraordinary step no other Pennsylvania county has taken.” (Spotlight PA)

Ups And Downs. The week gone by in the Commonwealth. (PoliticsPA)

Editorial

4. What They’re Saying

A glance around the Keystone State at editorials and opinions.

• An Independent PA House Speaker? Now Let Independents Vote In Primaries. (David Thornburgh, PA Capital-Star)
• Political Discussion Should Never Come Down To ‘Owning The Libs.’ (Kyle Sammin, Philadelphia Inquirer)
• Al Schmidt Nomination Another Sign Of A New Harrisburg. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• Here’s How The Shapiro Administration Can Best Help Older Pennsylvanians. (Ray Landis, PA Capital-Star)
• PA’s Supremely Activist Judges. (Lowman S. Henry, DelcoTimes)
• Midterm Voters Prefer Status Quo, Which Is Bad News. (Joe Guzzardi, Tribune-Review)
• Good Start For New House. Will it Work? (Times-Tribune)
• PA Legislature Shouldn’t Need A Special Session To Address Child Sex Abuse. It Should Just Do Its Job. (Paul Muschick, Morning Call)
• On The Houses Divided In D.C. And Harrisburg And Their Confounding Speakership Battles (LNP)
• Rozzi Talks Good Game But Now It’s Time To Play. (Borys Krawczeniuk, Times-Tribune)

1 Thing

5. John Fetterman: Pop Culture Icon?

Newly elected U.S. Sen. John Fetterman’s ascendance into the pop culture pantheon might have reached a crescendo with news that orders are now being taken for a Fetterman bobblehead.

On Friday, the 4-year-old National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, located in Milwaukee, is selling a Fetterman bobblehead for $30 that is expected to ship — for an additional $8 — to buyers in May. (PennLive)

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