Stopping Tom Wolf
It took 462 days, multiple legislative floor debates, a Supreme Court showdown, and two constitutional amendments to finally bring Tom Wolf's disaster emergency overreach to a halt.
But it was my concurrent resolution (HR836) – first circulated on Day 11 of that disaster emergency – which started it all. And in the end, it was my floor amendment to a partial termination resolution (HR106) that helped finally bring it to a close.
Pennsylvania was the only state in the nation to so limit its governor's emergency powers.
I was called "crazy" and "radical" when I first suggested we terminate Tom Wolf's disaster emergency, but it was only a matter of time before his bungled handling of Covid-19 proved to the majority of my colleagues in the General Assembly that I was right.
I led and participated in many rallies across the Commonwealth aimed at getting Pennsylvania businesses back open and the Keystone State's workers back to work.
I spoke loudly and clearly against Wolf's byzantine business waiver program, which allowed big box stores to rake in billions while mom & pop businesses were forced to close, and treated similar businesses in the same industry differently for no good reason at all.
With a few tips from alert citizens, my team was able to discover and confirm that Secretary of Health Rachel Levine quietly moved her own mother out of a personal care facilty while ordering Pennsylvania's long term care facilities to admit Covid positive patients to spread the virus among others who were healthy.
Like ticking time bombs, these patients led the virus to be virtually unstoppable among the most vulnerable of our citizenry. We may never know how many needless deaths occured as a result. It was a decision by Levine and Democrat officials in 4 other states which should never be forgotten.
After passing this information about Levine's mother to the media, which immediately confronted her on it, I introduced a resolution in the House (HR879) calling for her removal from her post. Despite her more recent elevation to a national post in Washington DC, the incident with her mother remains as the most often cited legacy of her tenure in Pennsylvania.
I joined forces with local officials in Lebanon County to stand up to Wolf, despite his insulting name calling and his violation of state law by withholding the county's share of Covid relief funds.
I produced several videos promoting a 'yes' vote on the constitutional amendments and again traveled the Commonwealth to engage with voters and distribute yard signs and other materials in advance of the ballot questions successfully being approved on May 18, 2021.
Tom Wolf completely ruined Pennsylvania with his ham-fisted lockdowns, edicts, and mandates, and I worked hard on your behalf to end his tyranny. I was certainly outspoken during this time, but someone needed to step up to the plate and actually lead those efforts.
As a result of my work in Harrisburg, no governor can ever put Pennsylvania through that again. I refuse to remain quiet when the individual rights of Pennsylvania's citizens are at stake.
