On January 3, Democrats and Republicans came together to select Representative Mark Rozzi as the new Pennsylvania State House speaker.
There has recently been a fight for control in the Pennsylvania State House because both parties declared themselves as the majority. Democrats technically won more State House seats in Pennsylvania; unfortunately, one of the representatives who won died in October. There was not enough time to take his name off the ballot, so he won. Republican legislators believed that this vacancy switched the balance of power giving them a majority of 100 to 99 seats, but Democratic legislators insisted that voters would want Democrats in the majority, leading to a heated dispute.
The position of the speaker is incredibly important as they have the power to moderate floor debate, call up bills for votes, and name the chamber’s committee chairs.
Both parties did not back down, and they each even held a swearing-in ceremony. Democrats swore in Representative Joanna McClinton (D-Philadelphia) as majority leader and acting speaker, whilst the House Republicans swore in Representative Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster). However, on January 3, both parties reached a consensus and decided to elect Representative Mark Rozzi (I-Berks) as speaker. Rozzi is a Democrat, but he pledged to govern as an Independent rather than a Democrat. “Never has this House been so divided not just by numbers, but by beliefs. And carrying out the functions of this office, I pledge to put people above politics and the institution before ideology.” said Rozzi, “I will tolerate no caucus and no member trying to outmaneuver the other. I will not tolerate incivility or a lack of decorum. Sometimes Republicans will win, sometimes Democrats will win.”
Rozzi felt the need to make this decision so the House would not be so divided anymore which worsened whilst choosing a new speaker. “I have seen the House of Representatives unable to agree on even the most basic question of its operating rules.” Rozzi said, “I have been the subject of tasteless attacks, lies, and threats. At the same time, members from both sides of the political divide have encouraged me to use my speakership to better the institution for all Pennsylvanians.” By becoming Independent, Rozzi hopes that the House will be more unified and restore a balance in making decisions.
Rozzi had a lot of support from Democrats, Republicans, and Independents because of his battle against the sexual abuse of children. His main goal as a politician is to make sure the legislature sends a constitutional amendment to voters that would give adult survivors of child sexual abuse legal recourse.
That is why many of the lawmakers felt that he would be a perfect fit for this position as he has also worked with some of the representatives, such as Representative Jim Gregory (R-Berks). In fact, it was Gregory who proposed Rozzi as the new speaker of the House. He said he didn’t bring this idea to his party leaders until he saw that the chamber seemed on the verge of recess without choosing a speaker. “They were not aware,” Gregory said. “I made a suggestion to them. ‘Go to Mark Rozzi, I think you might be able to do it.’ And they did.”
Now with Rozzi joining as an Independent, the Democrats will no longer get the majority, which was very disappointing for Democratic representatives.
However, representatives and Pennsylvanian citizens are worried if Rozzi will truly keep the independent-minded leadership that he has promised. “While he may say that he is an Independent at heart and in mind, I know based off his history and based off of what he’s advocated for in the past, that his heart is with Democratic values and I anticipate his speakership to reflect those values,” Representative Manny Guzman (D-Berks) said.
Despite the criticism, Rozzi is confident that he can change the communication of the House and make better decisions for Harrisburg.
Sources:
Compromise in Pennsylvania: State speaker to be independent (newsnationnow.com)
https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2023/01/pa-house-speaker-mark-rozzi-behind-the-scenes/