AG Shapiro announces lawsuit to ensure safe, secure vote-by-mail

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro and Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson this week announced two separate multi-state coalitions that will file federal lawsuits challenging nationwide operational changes at the U.S. Postal Service.

The lawsuits seek to halt unilateral changes at the Postal Service and ensure safe, secure vote-by-mail across the country.

Service and policy changes at the Post Office, including limiting staff overtime and so-called “late or extra shifts” have impacted the prompt delivery of mail to Americans who rely on the Postal Service for everything from medical prescriptions to ballots.

“We will be taking action to reinstate Postal Service standards that all Americans depend on, whether it’s for delivering their prescription drugs or for carrying their very right to vote,” Shapiro said. “Recent post office changes have been implemented recklessly, before checking the law, and we will use our authority to stop them and help ensure that every eligible ballot is counted.”

As a direct result of these changes at the Post Office, Pennsylvanians have been experiencing delays in receiving their mail, often going days without delivery of important letters, paychecks, or bills. The VA fills about 80% of veterans’ prescriptions through the mail. Putting Pennsylvania’s 800,000 veterans, many of them seniors, at risk of going without vital medication.

Nearly 1.5 million Pennsylvanians voted by mail in Pennsylvania’s 2020 primary election, the first to take place since the passage of Act 77 in 2019, which instituted no-excuse mail-in voting. For seniors and individuals with disabilities or pre-existing conditions, access to mail-in ballots is particularly important for this upcoming election while States contend with the ongoing pandemic.

“With this imminent filing, we are putting the Administration on notice: immediately roll back these operational changes at the US Postal Service and allow postal workers carry out their vital mission without interference — or lose to us in court,” Shapiro said. “And for the public, know that postal workers have long provided secure and reliable delivery of ballots. The important thing for you to do is vote. Vote early in person. Vote by mail. However you choose to vote, we’re here to make sure it counts.”

The Postal Service notified many states, including Pennsylvania, that it could not guarantee delivery of ballots in accordance with state laws and deadlines. In response to this change by the Postal Service, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf filed a motion in front of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court asking the court to extend the deadline to receive eligible ballots to Friday, November 6. Pennsylvania recently passed bipartisan election reforms that expanded early and mail-in voting.

“Pennsylvania officials are taking all the steps necessary to ensure voting is convenient and secure this November,” said Gov. Tom Wolf. “Thanks to modernized election laws, Pennsylvanians can now easily vote early, or by mail. However you choose to vote, we’re preparing so your vote is counted and secure.”

Shapiro’s multi-state lawsuit will assert the Postal Service unlawfully implemented widespread changes to mail service nationwide. The suit seeks to immediately reverse the agency’s actions, and guarantee safeguards and standards for election mail.

Rep. Toohil requests child-

related COVID-19 case data

In an effort to better protect the health and safety of Pennsylvania’s children and educators during the current COVID-19 crisis, Rep. Tarah Toohil, R-Butler Township, this week requested a more detailed reporting of cases involving young people from the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

“As educators and daycare operators begin to try to function again, there is data missing from the conversation that would be extremely helpful to our decision makers and policy makers,” Toohil said. “I believe that the release of more specific data with regard to children contracting and transmitting COVID-19 is paramount to our efforts to protect them.”

Specifically, Toohil asked the department to make certain information available to the public, including the number of children who have tested positive for COVID-19 by county and are hospitalized; the number of children who have died from the virus; along with other related data.

Toohil made her formal request in a letter sent to Gov. Tom Wolf and Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine.

Lt. Gov. John Fetterman

announces virtual pardons

Pennsylvania Board of Pardons Chairman Lt. Gov. John Fetterman this week announced that pardons and commutations public hearings will be held Sept. 1-4, with testimony occurring virtually for the first time in the board’s history.

In April, Fetterman announced the necessary postponement of quarterly public hearings that had been scheduled to be held in the Capitol in the first week of June. The Capitol was closed to visitors because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Conducting these hearings virtually is a last resort, because we wanted applicants to be able to attend in person and to make the best possible case for themselves,” Fetterman said. “It’s apparent that, in the interest of safety, we just can’t have people traveling from all across the state to attend the hearings, so we are adapting.”

The hearings will be held 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 1-4, and will be publicly accessible via a live streaming link. The link will be posted on the Board of Pardons website by September 1.

The hearings include 239 applications for pardons, including 24 expedited applications for minor marijuana-related offenses, representing just the second batch of applications to be heard through the new program that speeds up the pardons process. In June, the Board of Pardons sent its first batch of 26 marijuana-related pardons to the governor and recommended approval.

September’s hearings also include 22 applications for commutations of prison sentences, 21 of which are applications for commutation of life sentences without the chance of parole and one of which requests commutation of a minimum sentence. These include six applicants whose applications are being heard again for reconsideration after they were denied by the Board at its December 20, 2019 meeting.

Though working remotely, board members and staff continue to progress through a years-long case backlog. Several changes that Fetterman instituted during his first year in office have streamlined the process and are allowing staff to process cases more quickly.

DHS urges reporting of child

abuse to keep kids safe at home

Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Teresa Miller this week encouraged Pennsylvania families during this back-to-school season to consider taking proactive steps to keep kids safe in their home environments and reminded all Pennsylvanians that the responsibility to protect children from abuse and neglect belongs to each of us.

“Many, many thousands of Pennsylvania children are going back to school — but not yet back to the classroom. While necessary to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and save lives, remote learning is a fundamental shift in daily life for many families that has potentially significant implications for children,” Miller said. “This is an important opportunity for Pennsylvania families to very deliberately consider the environment of their child’s education, as there can be potential dangers for children even in our own homes.”

DHS is responsible for oversight of Pennsylvania’s county-run child welfare system through the Office of Children, Youth and Families (OCYF), which also administers statewide programs like ChildLine, Pennsylvania’s child-abuse reporting hotline. OCYF also analyzes child fatality and near-fatality data and identifies trends to inform the work of developing policy that can prevent tragedies.

OCYF Deputy Secretary Jon Rubin reminded Pennsylvania families to ensure that their home environments are as safe for children as possible. Specifically, families should consider gun and gun storage safety; pool and water safety; safe storage of medication and other dangerous substances; and potential fall/heights hazards.

“Taking proactive, deliberate action now can prevent accidental tragedies in the future,” Rubin said. “We want Pennsylvania families to go into the 2020-21 school year with the peace of mind that they’ve carefully considered the environment of their child’s education and taken necessary steps to keep them safe in that environment.”

Secretary Miller also reminded Pennsylvanians that we all share the responsibility of protecting children in our communities from abuse and neglect. DHS administers ChildLine, which is a 24/7 hotline available to anyone concerned for the safety or well-being of a child. To report a concern, call 1-800-932-0313.

Miller said the state saw a roughly 40 to 50 percent decline in child abuse reporting back in the spring after schools closed. Even this summer – with summer camps and sports camps and library story times canceled – a 10 to 12 percent decrease in ChildLine reports compared to the same months in 2019.