The General Assembly in Pennsylvania kicked off a new legislative session on Jan. 27, with a Republican-led state Senate and a tied state House.
The tie in the House comes after the passing of Rep. Matt Gergely (D., Allegheny), 45, due to a medical emergency at the beginning of the year.
“Matt was a treasured member of our delegation – there to offer support, advice, or a quick joke when needed,” The Allegheny County House Democratic Delegation said in a statement. “His legacy will live on through the impact of his work.”
The tie in the state House will be resolved through a special election on March 25. In the presidential election, Allegheny County voted 59.67% for Kamala Harris, according to the state department, and remains Democratic according to voter registration.
Until the special election, it’s unclear how many bills will be brought up for a vote in the state House. Democratic leadership, including Speaker Joanna McClinton (Philadelphia), has the choice to bring up any bills sent out of committee for a vote.
Some bills that could be on the table include bills surrounding election security, like banning ballot boxes, changing voter ID laws or stopping mail-in voting.
Regardless, Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro will have to work with at least one Republican-controlled chamber this session and in the upcoming budget season. The last two years, the budget has been signed after the June 30 deadline.
Key budget items are already a topic of discussion in the Capitol Building, as the week of Jan. 27 was christened “School Choice Week,” and led to a gathering in the rotunda of the building. School choice has been a hot-button issue in the state.
Shapiro and many Republicans back the idea of school choice, also known as vouchers, which would provide money for students in a public school to attend a private school of their choosing with state aid. Many Democrats and public school advocates are against the initiative, saying the money should instead be used to fix the current public school system that Pennsylvania is under court order to improve.
Shapiro will likely give his 2025-26 budget address in February, unveiling his priorities for the session. Lawmakers will have to pass both the budget and specific bills to allow specific funding allocation.
The House has several scheduled session days in the months leading up to June, and once the budget is passed, will take a break until September. The Senate has a few scheduled session days at the beginning of the year, most of their days in June, and then nothing else for the rest of the year. Days can be added onto the calendar.
