Dems seek rule change as hopes dashed
Some Democrats are banking on changes to the U.S. Senate鈥檚 filibuster rules, after Republicans blocked their efforts toward election reform for a third time.
Senators like Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., sharply criticized their colleagues this week for stopping the bill, which would have made Election Day a national holiday and set nationwide standards for early and mail-in voting.
鈥淥ur democracy is under siege and today, for the third time this year, Senate Republicans voted against the Senate from even debating legislation to protect voting rights,鈥� Casey said Wednesday evening in a written statement.
The failure 鈥� which followed months of negotiation and compromise with centrist Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. 鈥� underscored the difficulty Democrats face in passing even watered-down legislation.
Some have cited it as another reason to alter or eliminate the filibuster, a Senate tradition that lets a 40-member minority hold up most business indefinitely.
In recent months, Casey has indicated his willingness to cut the filibuster. And he鈥檚 not alone among his Democratic colleagues, especially as more of President Joe Biden鈥檚 agenda is held up.
鈥淚 was elected to serve the people, not an arcane Senate procedure,鈥� Casey tweeted in April. 鈥淚f the choice comes down to the filibuster or democracy, I know which side I鈥檓 on.鈥�
Republicans have remained united in their opposition to recent voting-rights bills, despite hopes that Manchin could lead some to back a weaker version. In June, Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., called one such bill an 鈥渆lection law power grab鈥� that would keep states from setting their own rules.
Democrats in Congress have moved with increasing urgency to reform federal election law, especially as GOP-controlled states impose new restrictions. In Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Wolf has held back new restrictions, but some Republican lawmakers have moved to avoid his veto by passing voter ID rules by constitutional amendment.
As Democrats like Casey argue, state-level restrictions like those passed this year in Georgia could have outsized effects on Black voters.
鈥淟et me be clear: At the core of voter suppression is white supremacy,鈥� Casey said, citing the long history of restrictions that effectively targeted Black citizens. 鈥淥ur democracy is under attack, and we need to keep fighting to ensure all Americans have a say in their government.鈥�
Train case spurs Good Samaritan bill
A state lawmaker said he hopes to pass a law requiring bystanders to help crime victims, after a woman鈥檚 rape on a Philadelphia-area train drew national headlines this week.
Sen. Jim Brewster, D-Allegheny, said Tuesday he intends to introduce a bill that would require witnesses to 鈥減rovide reasonable assistance鈥� to anyone facing serious physical harm. He cited a similar Minnesota law 鈥� known in some states as a Good Samaritan Law 鈥� that makes it a misdemeanor to fail to render aid.
Brewster said he was working on the bill when news broke of the Philadelphia-area case. Police said a man sexually assaulted a woman on a SEPTA train, in view of witnesses who allegedly didn鈥檛 provide help or contact the authorities.
The district attorney in Delaware County has since challenged the story鈥檚 details, arguing that most passengers likely weren鈥檛 aware and that one may have contacted officials. Still, the case has spurred interest in stricter responsibilities for civilian bystanders.
While bystanders in some cases can鈥檛 directly help 鈥� due to safety concerns, for example 鈥� Brewster鈥檚 bill would require them to at least call the police. Those who have the opportunity and fail to would face a third-degree misdemeanor, he said.
Bill would call for lax bus licenses
State leaders are struggling to reinforce Pennsylvania鈥檚 corps of school bus drivers, as jobs across the country remain unfilled.
This week, two lawmakers said they hope to petition the federal government to relax licensing requirements for bus drivers, while seeking the governor鈥檚 help in suspending some testing rules.
School bus routes have been understaffed since at least the start of this school year, although the roots go back further. Observers have pointed to several causes 鈥� including coronavirus concerns, retirement among older drivers and the draw of app-based ride-share jobs for younger ones.
鈥淚n the last 10 years, the commonwealth lost approximately 2,000 school bus drivers,鈥� Rep. Rosemary Brown, R-Monroe, and Rep. Tim Hennessey, R-Chester, said in announcing their bill.
In Pittsburgh, the public school year was delayed amid shortages; officials eventually enlisted county transit services to help ferry kids to schools. In Ohio, schools are offering cash bonuses, while in Maryland and North Carolina, drivers have threatened or carried out strikes in recent weeks over pay and conditions.
In Massachusetts, officials called up the National Guard to drive buses amid severe shortages.
Brown and Hennessey are moving to expand Pennsylvania鈥檚 driver pool another way: by petitioning the federal government to make it easier to get a license. Under existing rules, school bus drivers must study for several weeks, pass a series of tests and show knowledge of their vehicle鈥檚 inner workings.
While their resolution couldn鈥檛 change those rules, the lawmakers said they hope to get temporary waivers while asking Congress to relax federal policy, or even create a new license just for school bus drivers.
鈥淎 CDL truck driver and a CDL school bus driver are different occupations,鈥� Brown and Hennessey said 鈥� but when it comes to licenses 鈥渢hey are treated the same.鈥�
Ryan Brown covers statewide politics for Ogden Newspapers. He can be reached at rbrown@altoonamirror.com.