Sep. 23, 2020
HARRISBURG – Rep. Doyle Heffley (R-Carbon) today voted to override Gov. Tom Wolf’s veto of
House Bill 2787, legislation that would ensure decisions about school sports and activities, including policies regarding spectators, are made at the local level. However, the override attempt did not garner the required two-thirds majority for passage. Heffley is a co-sponsor of the legislation.
Heffley issued the following statement on the failed override vote:
“When this bill passed in the House three weeks ago, we had 155 ‘yes’ votes. Today, we needed 135 ‘yes’ votes to override the governor’s veto, but 24 members on the other side of the aisle flipped their votes. They voted for the bill initially and then, for no scientific-based reasoning, voted ‘no’ on it today, essentially denying access for families to see their child on the athletic field. This is the last chance for some of these folks to see their children compete.
“I think it is very hypocritical that people would vote one way and then vote another way for no other reason than political posturing.
“This bill would allow those locally-elected officials to decide whether or not they are going to allow people to attend sporting events in a safe and responsible manner. These stadiums are built for thousands of spectators. There is no reason we need to restrict capacity to 250 people.
“Some of these folks are paying $5,000, $10,000 or even $15,000 a year in property taxes to support their local school districts. Now they are being told by a governor who does not even know where they live that they cannot watch their son or daughter play. It is totally disgusting.”
Representative Doyle Heffley
122nd Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives