PA Senate Votes To End Wolf's COVID-19 Disaster Declaration

HARRISBURG, PA — The Pennsylvania Senate on Thursday morning joined the House in voting to end Gov. Tom Wolf's coronavirus disaster emergency declaration that's been in effect for the past 15 months. The vote was 30-20.

It's unclear, however, if the Senate vote brings an immediate end to the declaration. Voters approved primary referendums last month increasing the power of legislators to regulate the length of disaster declarations, but the primary vote in Pennsylvania has yet to be officially certified.

Wolf can neither sign nor veto the bill. He said at a news conference on Tuesday that he had no issue with Republicans attempting to rein in his authority on such declarations.

The declaration's end will have little impact on most Pennsylvanians, as Wolf last month lifted all mitigation orders other than a mask mandate for those who have not been fully vaccinated. Those who have been fully vaccinated no longer have to war masks.

The Senate on Thursday also approved a separate measure that keeps some of the COVID-19 regulatory waivers in place until the end of September. That legislation now must be approved by the House.

On Wednesday, the Senate approved legislation prohibiting so-called "vaccine passports" and limiting the state health secretary's powers when fighting contagious diseases. Wolf has vowed to veto both measures.