Trump administration scales back wild bird protections

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By MARK SCOLFORO and MARC LEVY 
 HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania lawmakers returned to the Capitol on Tuesday to be sworn in for the two-year legislative term, facing a still-raging pandemic and a dispute over seating a Democratic senator, with Republicans holding large majorities in both chambers.
 The Senate quickly dissolved into chaos.
 Democrats in the Senate began protesting — in some cases, shouting — after the Republican majority refused to seat Sen. Jim Brewster of Allegheny County, a Democrat whose election was certified by the state Nicole Ziccarelli.
 Republicans then voted on a motion to remove Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, a Democrat, as the presiding officer, after Fetterman insisted that Brewster be seated with the other senators. They then voted through another motion to recognize the election in every Senate contest, except for Brewster’s.
 Republicans have not said how long they will take to review Ziccarelli’s election challenge before voting on it, or how long the GOP majority is willing to leave the seat vacant. The open seat does not affect the balance of power in the Senate, where Republicans hold 28 of 50 seats.
 The state House begins the session with 113 Republican seats and 90 Democratic, although one of those GOP districts is vacant because of the death on Saturday of Westmoreland County Rep. Mike Reese.
 The House was to swear in its members in four groups to limit potential coronavirus exposure. Each chamber's operating rules will also be considered, and House Democrats want mask wearing to be mandatory during floor sessions and committee meetings. 
 Republican draft rules did not address the mask issue, which could be taken up by a bipartisan group of House leaders that manages chamber operations.
 The House is expected to elect Lancaster County Republican Rep. Bryan Cutler as speaker, and the Senate is poised to make Centre County Republican Sen. Jake Corman its presiding officer, president pro tempore.
 Along with a pandemic-driven, multibillion-dollar budget gap, legislators this year will also have to figure out how to redraw congressional district lines based on new census results that are expected to cut one member of Congress from Pennsylvania's 18-member delegation. 
 Later this year, the four caucus leaders will also begin redrawing General Assembly lines with participation from a fifth member they can select. If they remain deadlocked on the fifth member, as is likely, the Democratic-majority state Supreme Court will chose the tie-breaking member for them.

Fight over Senate election mars start of legislative session