During a Wednesday interview with KYW Newsradio in Philadelphia, Governor-Elect Josh Shapiro outlined some of his first priorities that he will undertake after being sworn in as Pennsylvania’s 48th chief executive.

He told hosts Ian Bush and Carol MacKenzie that “probably on Wednesday morning, I’ll sign a number of executive orders to fulfill campaign promises I made and help move our Commonwealth forward.

“The first one will be to do away with the college-degree requirement for tens of thousands of state government jobs,” he continued. “It shuts off too many people from having opportunities to serve and I want to make sure that people are judged on their merit, not on the academic degrees they’ve received. We’re going to have a new approach to opening up the doors of opportunity for those who work with the Commonwealth.”

Shapiro was asked about the present situation in the Pennsylvania House and Speaker Mark Rozzi (D-Berks).

“I’m hopeful that the House will sort this out and we’ll get to work,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of work we need to do to help the good people of Pennsylvania, from investing in our schools and public service to growing our economy. I think the voters made clear, electing so many new representatives to the House, rejecting extremism, they want Democrats and Republicans to come together and get things done. I’m prepared to do that work. And hopefully the House will get itself in order and do that work as well.”

When asked if the lack of resolution in the House makes addressing his agenda more difficult, Shapiro deferred. “Our agenda will get through because it’s the agenda for the people of Pennsylvania. We need to focus on public safety, focus on our children’s future, create an economy that actually gives everybody a shot. These are things that are not Democrat or Republican. They’re common sense.”

“I’ve received a lot of support from lawmakers from both parties that we’re ready to work with you. I’m encouraged by the bipartisan support for a lot of these initiatives and we’ll be ready to get work with them on Day 1.”