Oct. 06, 2023
HARRISBURG – On Thursday, House Democrats forced a vote on
Senate Bill 224 after holding a meeting of the House Appropriations Committee after 11 p.m. Wednesday to make changes to the bill that would have radically affected the administration of our elections, according to Rep. Wendy Fink (R-Red Lion).
“The stunt pulled by House Democrats this week posed a dangerous threat to democracy,” said Fink. “Legislation should not be considered under the cover of darkness, out of the public eye for vetting and scrutiny. Not to mention, members of the committee only had three minutes between receiving the legislation and casting their vote for or against it; that simply isn’t enough time to cast an educated, responsible vote.
“House rules dictate no votes shall be taken after 11 p.m., but the majority party continues to disregard rules and parliamentary procedure to conduct its business and silence Republican voices, who represent all but half of the Commonwealth. House Democrats tabled all Republican amendments to Senate Bill 224 and refused to let them hear debate on the floor of the House.
“The actions taken by my Democrat colleagues this week disgust me, and sadly, it’s no wonder why people have lost faith in government.”
Senate Bill 224 was amended by House Democrats to make mail-in voting permanent – meaning that after you apply the first time, you never have to apply for it again, as well as a new State Department website related to that process. Furthermore, if signed into law, this bill would have taken effect immediately, leaving our county election officials in a lurch to make unattainable changes at the last minute, further jeopardizing trust in the electoral process.
Senate Bill 224 was ultimately defeated in a House chamber vote of 177-26.
Representative Wendy Fink
94th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Katelin Morrison
717.260.6502
Kmorrison@pahousegop.com
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