While the House and Senate have not been in voting session, co-sponsorship memos for legislation are being circulated, bills have been introduced and re-introduced and planning meetings for legislative priorities are being held.
The three special elections to fill the three vacancies in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, that would determine the majority of the House, were all won by Democrats. Post special election, the Democrat caucus held a very slim 102-101 majority. This number has now changed to a temporary 102-100 majority with the resignation of Rep. Lynda Schlegel Culver (R-Northumberland) who was elected to the state Senate to fill the spot of Sen. John Gordner who resigned after being re-elected to the Senate.
House Republicans announced their committee chairs for the new session and Rep. Mark Gillen (R-Berks) will be the Republican Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness committee. Democrats have yet to announce committee chairs and members of the committees for both Republicans and Democrats have yet to be determined. The House announced it will come back into session on February 21st (a week earlier than scheduled). The House has yet to vote on the operating rules for the Chamber. The House can not operate, legislatively, until these rules are adopted.
Governor Shapiro is scheduled to give his first budget address on March 7th. After the address, the House and Senate will hold the annual budget hearings. The Senate Appropriations committee has released their schedule of budget hearings which will begin March 20th and will continue through April 14th .
Both the House and Senate are currently scheduled to be in session February 27th, 28th and March 1st, 6th, 7th and 8th. Both chambers will then recess while budget hearings take place until April 24th.