Legislation that gives schools say on spectators moves closer to Gov. Wolf’s desk

By: Chris Harlan
Thursday, September 3, 2020 | 5:55 PM

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Before WPIAL football teams kick off next week, state lawmakers may send a bill to Gov. Tom Wolf’s desk that would let more spectators attend interscholastic events.

“I absolutely think that’s a real possibility,” said state Rep. Mike Reese, R-Westmoreland, the primary sponsor of House Bill 2787. “I think that’s going to be a goal, for sure.”

The legislation would let individual school district make decisions involving interscholastic sports, including how many spectators can enter a stadium or gymnasium. Districts could avoid the 250-person outdoor and 25-person indoor restrictions established by Wolf’s administration, Reese said, but still should follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for covid-19 mitigation.

The state House passed the bill 155-47 on Wednesday, sending it to the Senate for approval. The Senate Education Committee voted 10-1 on Thursday to advance the bill to the Senate floor for a vote.

The Senate returns to session Tuesday.

“We had 155 votes in the house and only one ‘no’ vote in the Senate education committee,” Reese said. “I think that’s a pretty good bipartisan bill because it’s not a Republican or Democrat issue. People want to see kids participating in these (athletics) activities and they want to be able to watch them.”

PIAA executive director Bob Lombardi said he supports Reese’s bill. The PIAA has recommended an attendance limit that equals 25% of capacity.

Reese can’t say when the Senate will act on his bill but believes it could reach Wolf’s desk next week. The process was expedited Thursday by state Sen. Wayne Langerholc, R-Bedford/Cambria, the chairman of the education committee.

Once a bill reaches Wolf, he has three options. The governor can sign the bill, he can veto it or he can do nothing with it — and after 10 days it becomes law without his signature.

The governor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.

“If he vetoes it, we’ll bring it up for a veto override in the house and I suspect the senators will probably do the same,” Reese said. “Given the vote we had in the house, the 155 votes were well beyond the 136 we need for a veto override.”

The bill only covers school-sponsored athletics, so independent organizations like the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League won’t be able to avoid the 25-person indoor gathering limit. Reese said there’s another bill on the way from state Rep. Matt Dowling, R-Fayette, to address that issue.

“If we have to go through this whole process with his bill to get them the same thing, we will,” Reese said. “I just hope the governor maybe goes there on his own.”

Reese said he’s somewhat disappointed legislative action was needed to resolve this dispute in the first place. Wolf on Wednesday removed his ban on spectators but left in place the gathering-size restrictions that could leave most stadiums seats empty this fall.

Many large-school football teams will have difficulty fitting spectators under a 250-person limit that also counts athletes, coaches, officials and other game-day workers. The 25-person limit on volleyball and water polo make it difficult to organize a game.

“Maybe not as a legislator, but as a dad and as a coach, I look at this and think this is just absurd,” Reese said. “It doesn’t make any sense. It’s not logical. You understand that government isn’t always going to be perfect … but you at least hope they make decisions that are somewhat logical, that have some level of common sense to them, and this one doesn’t.”

Reese points to the 25-person requirement for volleyball.

“Once you have your players, you have your coaches, you have your refs, you have your athletic trainers, you have your scorekeepers, you’re well over 25,” Reese said. “You’re going to have kids out in the hallway waiting to sub in. It’s silly. It doesn’t make sense.”

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.