Bill Passes Enabling Bigger School Sports Crowds – Wolf To Veto – But Override Is Very Possible
Currently Pennsylvania school sports events are limited to 250 spectators for outdoor games, and 25 for games played indoors. The Pennsylvania Legislature just passed House Bill 2787 which could change all that.
The bill, which passed in the Pennsylvania Senate yesterday by a vote of 39-11, and passed in the House on September 2, by a vote of 155-47, calls for local school districts to decide for themselves how many specators will be allowed to attend school sporting events.
Governor Tom Wolf is expected to veto the bill. A 2/3 vote in both chambers is required to override the governor’s veto. In order for Wolf’s veto not to be overridden, at least six of the yes votes in the Senate and 21of the yes votes in the House, would have to flip and vote against the override.
Wolf: I can’t conceive of an overriding of this veto.
According to Pennlive.com, Wolf said (at a news conference in York) that, “I can’t conceive of an overriding of this veto. This really doesn’t make sense. Each school district can decide, each school board can decide whether they want to have sports or not. It seems to me anybody that says, ‘and we’re also getting any of the ability to override any public health issues unilaterally, in your own estimation; you might have been talking to somebody at a party last night, and on the basis of that you’re going to make a decision that’s going to put a lot of people’s lives in jeopardy.
I’m not sure we want to give that unilateral responsibility or authority to anybody. I think that virus is real, the virus is out there. I think we ought to recognize that and I don’t see why this bill, adds anything to the safety, health, or economic or educational value of Pennsylvania.”