Lawmakers have enough votes to override a veto.
But the question is, will they?
Governor Tom Wolf isn't concerned.
He has promised a veto on House Bill 2787. The bill would allow individual school districts to decide crowd sizes at sporting events. It passed the PA Senate and has a two-thirds majority, which is enough to override a veto.
"I'm not concerned," said Governor Wolf. "I might be wrong, but I don't think it will be overridden."
Under state guidelines outdoor crowds are capped at 250 people. The Governor said the purpose of the guidelines are to keep people safe and minimizing exposure. In the case of schools, he said health and safety guidelines also serve the purpose of keeping students safely in the classroom.
"Schools have the ability to decide whether they want to have sports," said Gov. Wolf. "All I'm saying here is the schools don't have the ability to override the virus that is saying 'bring people together I'd love that.' I can't override that virus. I don't know how school districts can override it. And, yet this bill pretends that they can. They can't. That's the reality. The virus is going to do what it does."
"The problem with that is, it doesn't account for what these activities really are," said State Rep. Mike Reese (R-Westmoreland County), who sponsored the bill.
Rep. Reese said the 250 person rule is unrealistic for sports that host everything from a team to a band, cheerleaders, and fans.
"We're actually going to have some students who are going to have to be out in the hallway or potentially out in the parking lot waiting to be substituted into the game," Reese said.
Republicans plan an override vote in the House as soon as possible. However, both chambers will once again have to come to a two-thirds majority.
"That's willfully ignoring the reality that this virus likes when people come together," said Gov. Wolf.
