Pa. Senate sends bill that would reopen businesses to Gov. Wolf [View all]
Gov. Tom Wolf is now faced with a decision about whether to allow more businesses in Pennsylvania to open or to stay the course with his COVID-19 mitigation efforts that he said follows the advice of health experts.
The state Senate on Wednesday voted to send to the governor a bill that would require him to develop a plan adhering to federal guidelines. It would allow certain employers to reopen their businesses and get workers back to work within the next three weeks. The Senate voted 29-21, with all Republicans and independent Sen. John Yudichak of Luzerne County supporting the bill.
Wolf has remained firm about his need for Pennsylvanians to remain home to limit the spread of the coronavirus. The state remains under a stay-at-home order until April 30.
On Wednesday, during the COVID-19 update, Wolf didn’t specifically say he would veto the bill, but he did describe the “course we’re on right now is the least bad choice we have to make and with all the painful decisions that go with it. It’s the right course.”
Late Wednesday afternoon, Lt. Gov. Fetterman sent a message on Tweeter that suggests Wolf is likely to reject it. In citing the Senate vote, Fetterman wrote “rhymes with veto.”
Fetterman wrote that everyone wants the state to reopen but added, “One side wants science and experts to lead that discussion on the ‘when’.”
Based on the House’s 107-95 vote to pass this measure on Tuesday and the vote in the Senate, neither chamber appears to have the two-thirds votes needed to override a veto if that is the path Wolf chooses.
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