The Pennsylvania House of Representatives re-elected Republican Joanna McClinton (D-Philadelphia) as speaker of the House on Tuesday, despite a 101-101 tie on the first day of the session.
McClinton, who took to the podium in 2023 as the first woman and second Black person to lead the House of Representatives, was re-elected on the second ballot after House Minority Leader Jesse Topper (R, Bedford) removed his name from speaker considerations. After Topper removed his name, only McClinton was considered and a vote was taken, which meant that each member did not have to register their vote.
In what could have been a dramatic and drawn-out process, McClinton was easily re-elected – without the need for an official vote count by members of the Republican Party whether they supported McClinton’s leadership. Instead of challenging McClinton as speaker, Republicans opted to negotiate more favorable operating rules that give them more power and reflect the divided nature of the chamber.
Democrats in the House of Representatives prevented the November elections that triggered a red wave and maintained a single-seat majority in the chamber. However, Republican Matt Gergely (R-Allegheny) had health problems last week and was absent from the House on Tuesday, tying Democrats with Republicans on the first day of the session.
McClinton, as she sat at the podium during the second legislative session, said it left her with “feelings of joy, humility and, most importantly, gratitude.” She encouraged continued bipartisanship in the chamber during the biennial legislative session and noted some bipartisan achievements in the last session, such as the augment public educationrent and real estate discount programs and Tax relief for the care of children and dependent persons.
“Now, more than ever, as our nation heals the scars of the last brutal election cycle, it is important for us to show people that not only did we get their votes last November, but we take our oath of office responsibly and seriously,” McClinton said in a speech before the House. “Not just to sit here and point fingers, but to get on our committees, get into our caucuses, meet with delegations across the state and find a solution.”
House Majority Leader Matt Bradford (R-Montgomery) noted Gergely’s absence and its political implications in a speech on the floor.
“We are 101-101 and will remain that way for a long time,” Bradford said. “Our House has proven it can collaborate and act, and that is our bipartisan achievement something many didn’t think we could achieve.”
Bradford also thanked Topper for his chamber’s willingness to negotiate during Gergely’s health emergency, calling Topper “a good man.” Tuesday collegiality marked a very different first day in the House of Representatives from that in 2023when a series of vacancies meant that Democrats were outnumbered on the first day of the legislative session.
Instead, Republicans then struck a surprising deal with former House Speaker Mark Rozzi (R-Berks), who would serve as the House’s “independent” speaker, though it was initially unclear whether he intended to change his political party. Rozzi remained a Democrat, but disagreements with Republicans led him to block members from meeting in legislative sessions until a special election was held. Democrats retained their majority, and Rozzi ultimately stepped down to hand the gavel to McClinton in her historic advance.
Topper in his first major negotiations as House Minority Leader praised changes to the House’s operating rules that now give Republican Party members a greater chance to have a say in what legislation the chamber passes. There will now be 14 Democrats and 12 Republicans on each of the House’s 27 legislative committees, including three novel ones: the Communications and Technology Committee, chaired by Republican Joe Ciresi (R-Montgomery); Intergovernmental Affairs, chaired by Rep. Dave Dellosso (D., Delaware); and Energy, led by Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler (D., Philadelphia).
Any 25 members of the House will again be able to file a discharge resolution to send a bill that has not cleared a committee to another, reversing the 50-sponsor bipartisan threshold introduced by Democrats during the last legislative session and giving Republicans another win. in the novel operating rules.
“It just allows for more general debate and more thought within this institution, which will hopefully lead to a better product,” Topper added.
Sixteen novel lawmakers were sworn in to the House and four to the state Senate on Tuesday, including two fresh faces representing Northeast Philadelphia: Republican Sean Dougherty and Republican Sen. Joe Picozzi. Picozzi, 29, is the youngest member of the state Senate and the first Republican to represent Philadelphia in that chamber in more than 20 years.
