Thread by @justin_sweitzer

The first Senate session of 2021 begins with Democrats requesting that all senators in the chamber wear a mask.

Speaking on the request, @SenSantarsiero says that senators should wear a mask out of respect for their fellow members, especially given a new strain of COVID-19 that is more contagious.

I'll be jumping back and forth between House and Senate feeds. The House begins by holding a moment of silence for Rep. Mike Reese, who passed away over the weekend from a brain aneurysm.

Senate Democrats are stressing that a Senate policy requires mask-wearing by senators. They ask that anyone who does not wear a mask leave the chamber.

Democrats are now motioning to postpone the swearing-in of members in response to Senate GOP leaders' decision to not swear-in Sen. Jim Brewster today.

Context:

https://twitter.com/justin_sweitzer/status/1346467441665220611

Sen. Ryan Aument, a Republican, motions to lay Democrats' motion on the table.

Things are now getting a bit contentious in the Senate.

Democrats say swearing-in should be postponed until the Brewster/Ziccarelli federal court case is resolved. Ziccarelli alleges that a few hundred ballots were undated and therefore violate state law. She is also formally contesting the election to the Senate.

Meanwhile, in the House, things seem to be moving along without issue. The House will be swearing in lawmakers today in four batches to minimize contact.

Back in the Senate, the vote to postpone the swearing-in of members fails along party lines, 11-14.

Now Aument moves to lay the swearing-in of Brewster on the table subject to the federal case and election contest.

Lt. Gov. John Fetterman is refusing to recognize Aument's motion to delay the swearing-in in the 45th District race. Aument is threatening to have Fetterman replaced with President Pro Tempore Jake Corman.

The situation has now devolved into shouting, with Sen. Anthony Williams shouting as Corman attempts to hold a vote on a motion to replace Fetterman.

The motion to remove Fetterman appears to have been approved. But Fetterman is refusing to cede the rostrum.

This whole thing is obviously pretty unprecedented, at least in my time covering the legislature. The Senate clerk is now continuing to read through the rest of the Senate election results.

I was about to say things seemed to have calmed down a bit, but then things got a bit spicy again.

Now Corman is calling for the oath of office to be administered.

For those interested, here is the livestream: pasen.gov/Video/SenateVi…

Sen. Tony Williams, the Senate Minority Whip, says Jim Brewster wants the swearing-in of Democratic senators to occur without him being sworn-in at this time.

Well, we finally got to the swearing-in part. Republican and Democratic senators, with the exception of Brewster, sworn in.

Fetterman has left the rostrum and chamber, per
@JanMurphy:

https://twitter.com/JanMurphy/status/1346525534424018949

Now the Senate is electing a president pro tempore, which is expected to be Corman, who is currently the interim president pro tempore.

After GOP senators asked for the chamber to elect Corman as pro tem, Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa is urging the chamber *not* to elect Corman as pro tem.

It's worth noting that Costa not supporting Corman's nomination is fairly unprecedented. Typically the minority party's leader will support the nominee in a show of unity.

Corman is elected president pro tempore with a 31-18 vote.

"Quite a first day," Corman says as he begins speaking at the rostrum.

Corman said as president pro tempore, he wants to make transparency a key tenet of his tenure.

Corman calls being elected pro tem "the honor of a lifetime."

Democrats apparently left the floor as Corman gave his prepared remarks:

https://twitter.com/JanMurphy/status/1346533510618734594

Gov. Tom Wolf has released a statement on the decision not to seat Brewster:

My activity on this thread dropped off a bit as the Senate moved on from the Brewster/Ziccarelli issue. But in the hours to follow, the Senate approved their operating rules and established a committee to review the 2020 election.

They have since adjourned. Eventful day? I guess you could say that.