News: A Pennsylvania state Senate committee is considering issuing subpoenas to the PA Department of State for a wide range of voter information for the purposes of a Republican-led review of the 2020 and 2021 elections.

You can stream the hearing here: pasen.gov/Video/8e.cfm?r… The subpoenas, if approved, ask the Department of State to provide information including the name, date of birth, driver's license number, last four digits of SSN, address, and date of last voting activity for all voters in the state, among other information.

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.

Pa. Senate Democrats say GOP leaders are refusing to swear in Sen. Jim Brewster amid a pending legal challenge regarding the validity of ballots. According to certified results from the Pa. Dept. of State, Brewster won his race for re-election by 69 votes. Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa says multiple courts have already upheld Brewster's margin of victory. "This is only the Republican Party trying to steal an election."

Pa. Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine says 5,529 patients are currently hospitalized with COVID-19. 1,149 of those people are in the ICU. Hand washing, social distancing and hand-washing are more important than ever, Levine says.