Berks County Democrat Mark Rozzi voted as new speaker of Pa. State House

[FakeNoose]

(link) https://www.post-gazette.com/news/politics-state/2023/01/03/state-house-speaker-vote-pennsylvania-lawmakers-mcclinton-cutler-deluca-lee-davis/stories/202301030070

HARRISBURG — The narrowly divided state House of Representatives on Tuesday resolved a logjam over control of the chamber by making its new speaker a Reading-area Democrat who was nominated by Western Pennsylvania conservative Republicans.

The chamber voted 115-85 to make Rep. Mark Rozzi of Berks County its speaker after Republicans were unable to convert their 101-99 majority into a vote to retain the speakership.

Mr. Rozzi, who began his sixth two-year term this week, is best known as a champion of the effort to give victims of child sexual abuse another chance to sue perpetrators or institutions that covered it up over claims that are barred by time limits in current law.

He worked alongside Democratic Gov.-elect Josh Shapiro in pushing for the lawsuit window after Mr. Shapiro, as attorney general, unveiled a landmark grand jury report on his office’s investigation into the state’s Roman Catholic dioceses.

- snip -

Mr. Rozzi said he would be independent, pledging to not caucus with either Republicans or Democrats and to staff his office with members of both parties. He decried dysfunction and obstruction in the chamber’s politics, and said “never has this House been so divided.”

- more at link -

OK this might work, if Mark Rozzi is an honorable man.

[BumRushDaShow]

1. With all the Congressional drama yesterday, I was semi-trying to follow this

but missed what happened at the end of their day (which occurred right around the time of the 3rd vote in the U.S. House before they eventually voted to adjourn). I had left off where Ward was elected Pro tempore of the state Senate (she belongs in prison).

The Philly Inquirer had this -

Mark Rozzi, a Democrat-turned-independent, is now speaker of the Pa. House after a surprise vote

Pennsylvania House lawmakers elected Rep. Mark Rozzi speaker of the House.


by Andrew Seidman and Gillian McGoldrick
Updated Jan 3, 2023

HARRISBURG — Democrats and more than a dozen Republicans threw their support behind a consensus candidate for speaker of the Pennsylvania House on Tuesday, a surprise move some lawmakers said would help bring unity to the state capital. House lawmakers elected Rep. Mark Rozzi speaker of the House, elevating a veteran Democratic lawmaker from Berks County who said Tuesday he would govern as an independent. Some Republicans backed Rozzi even though the GOP currently holds a slight majority in the House. “As many of you know, I’ve never been an ideologue,” Rozzi said on the House floor late Tuesday afternoon. He added he would not caucus with either party.

(snip)

The speaker vote, held hours after members were sworn into office, followed weeks of uncertainty regarding which party actually controlled the chamber in Harrisburg. Democrats won 102 seats in November – giving them an apparent edge in the 203-member House for the first time in more than a decade. But three vacancies in Democratic-held seats left the party with just 99 members to Republicans’ 101.

(snip)

The power struggle was significant in part because House Republicans indicated that with control of the chamber, they might advance constitutional amendments that the GOP-led legislature had already passed in July. The amendments — including one that would impose stricter voter ID requirements and another that would make it easier for lawmakers to reject administrative regulations — need to pass both chambers again in order to make the ballot for voters to render their judgment. The governor isn’t involved in the amendment process. With Rozzi as speaker, it seems unlikely that any controversial amendment will come up for a vote.

(snip)

Rozzi’s election as speaker was reminiscent of the start of the 2007 legislative session, when Democrats held a 102-seat majority but couldn’t muster enough votes to win the speakership. That year, most Democrats and a half dozen Republicans voted in favor of Denny O’Brien, a moderate Philadelphia Republican. Among the lawmakers who helped broker that power-sharing agreement was Shapiro, then a state representative from Montgomery County. Republicans had been trying since Christmas to induce at least one Democratic lawmaker to switch parties, according to a source familiar with the matter. And a vote for a Democratic speaker hardly seemed likely heading into Tuesday.

(snip)

https://www.inquirer.com/politics/pennsylvania/mark-rozzi-democrat-elected-speaker-pennsylvania-house-20230103.html

No paywall

That's like a reverse of what happened 15 years ago but going to our side (in the form a (D) declaring themselves an (I)) to become Speaker vs back then when we supported a "moderate" (R) for Speaker despite having the majority).

The issue would be how the court cases play out and whether the court might consider the filings "moot" now.

I think the key thing is to keep the extremist legislation off the floor AND torpedo the state Constitutional Amendments that would ban abortions & institute their draconian Voter ID nonsense that already passed in one legislative session and only needed to pass this year's legislative session (it would in the Senate) to trigger it to then go on the ballot as a referendum (usually scheduled by the GOP loons during a low-turnout primary), to change the state Constitution, and do an end-run around Shapiro.

[Deminpenn]

2. Exactly

It's interesting that Shapiro was in the state House in 2007 and helped broker the deal that made O'Brien speaker. Now he's governor when the exact same scenario played out.

I did a quick check of the Rs who voted for Rozzi. Looks like most were suburban Rs from the SE, south central and SW PA with a good number of women among them.

I think Rozzi's comments reflect what most Pennsylvanians want, government that works in our interests and isn't using constitutional amendment to bypass the will of the voters.

[BumRushDaShow]

3. Found the roll call

https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/RC/Public/rc_view_action2.cfm?sess_yr=2023&sess_ind=0&rc_body=H&rc_nbr=4

(of course you would need to know who is what party and where they hail from)

Plus some snippets of how this went down...

Pa. Legislature welcomes new members, House elects Rozzi as speaker

By: Marley Parish and Peter Hall - January 3, 2023 5:52 pm

(snip)

Republicans said early Tuesday that Rep. Carl Metzgar, R-Somerset, would be the GOP nominee for speaker, but Rozzi’s nomination by Rep. Jim Gregory, R-Blair, was also in the works.

“I think what did it for me was when [Rozzi] indicated that he was willing to change to independent,” House Republican Leader Bryan Cutler of Lancaster County said.

(snip)

https://www.penncapital-star.com/government-politics/pa-legislature-welcomes-new-members-house-elects-rozzi-as-speaker/

[Deminpenn]

4. Thanks, already found it

Updated my previous post.

[BumRushDaShow]

5. Okay - was just having some internet issues this morning

(hate end of month/beginning of month when Comcast does updates, etc., so had to temporarily switch to my cell standalone hotspot for about 30 minutes while that resolved )

I think since those were suburban Reps., their districts are swingy anyway so I think once McClinton decided to stand down, that actually emboldened them to go ahead and make the deal.

I know that Shapiro has a deep bench of support built up over the years and he had a significant crossover vote from Republicans to get elected (and he had the same type of crossover with both of his AG runs - even getting more votes than any of the Presidential candidates in 2016 and 2020, no matter what party)!

[Deminpenn]

6. No problem

You're always on top of things with excerpts and links.

Agree that some of these districts are swingy-ish or abutting Dem strongholds, but I also found the number of women defectors interesting.

[BumRushDaShow]

7. I think the women may have done so due again to Roe v. Wade

with the concern about the abortion ban Amendment, that if passed in this legislative session (as the 2nd consecutive), would then allow the GOP to put it out as a referendum to change the state Constitution.

I think based on how those types of referendums have fared in other states, it would most likely fail but I think it's possible that those GOP women were sending a message to say - just leave it alone and keep the current state status quo restrictions in place, and not go any further. There is probably also a concern that failing any referendum, more and more restrictive and extremist legislation would have been put forward instead without some kind of check and balance. Mastriano is still in the state Senate and has already said he's pushing for full ban, no exceptions (although we know Shapiro would veto anything like that if it hits his desk).

[FakeNoose]

8. It seems that this idea of Rep. Rizzo going independent was supported by Shapiro

We haven't heard the entire backstory yet, but this might work. The Legislature might actually get something done this year. Here's hoping, with fingers crossed.

[BumRushDaShow]

9. Hopefully it will get some of the more moderate Republicans

to back away from the extremists as they know there are a number of things that BOTH sides want - like pre-canvassing of the mail ballots that the extremists are blocking.