Gov. Wolf Wants The Power To Declare A Public Health Emergency

By Ed Mahon | PA Post

As concern over the spread of the coronavirus increases in Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Wolf is urging the legislature to give him the power to declare a public health emergency.

“I’ve been asking for this for some time,” Wolf said during a news conference last Friday.

Following the detection of two presumed coronavirus cases in the state, Wolf declared a disaster emergency on Friday, a move that allows the state to override certain regulations, including how it awards contracts. Historically, governors have used it for snowstorms, flooding and other severe weather. In January 2018, Wolf took the unusual move of declaring a disaster emergency in response to opioid deaths.

Democrat Wolf, however, wants to separate the sort of emergency declaration used to coordinate responses to bad storms from the emergency powers needed to confront the outbreak of a potentially dangerous virus.

Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (Allegheny) is also a proponent of a public health emergency declaration. He said it would allow for better coordination when dealing with bioterrorism, the opioid crisis, and range of illnesses and diseases.

“This particular emergency health order gives a more direct and appropriate response to whatever the crisis might be,” Costa said.

The Senate unanimously approved Costa’s legislation in 2018 and again in 2019. But the House didn’t act on it.

Mike Straub, a spokesman for the House Republican Caucus, said lawmakers had concerns about the scope of what the legislation would cover.

But Straub said the House Health Committee plans to take action on the bill soon, possibly when lawmakers return to session during the week of March 16. Lawmakers could choose to amend the bill before passing it out of committee, Straub said.

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