{"id":671086,"date":"2026-09-19T15:26:47","date_gmt":"2026-09-19T15:26:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/?p=671086"},"modified":"2026-09-19T15:26:47","modified_gmt":"2026-09-19T15:26:47","slug":"covid-2-0-swing-state-health-overhaul-triggers-gop-pushback-over-police-powers-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/?p=671086","title":{"rendered":"\u2018COVID 2.0\u2019: Swing state health overhaul triggers GOP pushback over \u2018police powers\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Warning of a return to the draconian playbook, GOP lawmakers in a battleground state are speaking out against the possible \u201cpolice powers\u201d that could come with new regulatory rules.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis absolutely is COVID 2.0, but it\u2019s even worse \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Between death toll trackers and fearmongering projections, much of the narrative around COVID relied on panic porn while public officials passed the buck on following someone else\u2019s \u201cguidance\u201d to impose arbitrary mandates on what businesses were allowed to operate and whether or not a loved one was left to die alone while medical professionals choreographed their next TikTok dance.<\/p>\n

Now it appears that Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) is setting the stage for potential constitutional violations as Republican state lawmakers are speaking out against a 502-page rewrite<\/a> of Keystone State health code rules they say give officials broad \u201cpolice power\u201d over the public should another virus give cause to declare an emergency.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis absolutely is COVID 2.0, but it\u2019s even worse because [Gov.] Josh Shapiro is trying to circumnavigate or skirt the constitutional provision that we the people in Pennsylvania voted to take that kind of power away from the governor,\u201d Pennsylvania state Rep. Russ Diamond (R) told Fox News Digital. \u201cWe were the only state in the nation to reduce our governor\u2019s powers by a constitutional amendment after COVID.\u201d<\/p>\n

The proposed regulation aims to expand the list of reportable communicable and noncommunicable diseases and update rules allowing for things like local health authorities to \u201center an apartment, a building, a health care facility, a school, college or university, or other location as necessary to conduct its investigation under 208 this chapter.\u201d<\/p>\n

In May 2021, Pennsylvania voters approved amendments allowing the legislature to terminate a governor\u2019s emergency declaration by a simple majority vote and to force the governor to get legislative approval every 21 days to renew an emergency declaration. Five other legislatures would likewise curb the power<\/a> of their respective state executives.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think that we want a very left-leaning governor with his Department of Health and their henchmen having this kind of police power in Pennsylvania,\u201d added Diamond, who also remarked, \u201cEverybody in the United States was impacted by COVID one way or another.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were one of the worst locked-down states in the entire nation. And we had one of the worst death rates from COVID \u2026 We don\u2019t want unelected bureaucrats making those decisions,\u201d he argued in a clip erroneously credited to Pennsylvania House Minority Leader Jesse Topper. \u201cWe need to follow the [Commonwealth] Constitution, which says, \u2018Hey, you can declare a public health disaster emergency if you want. But after 21 days, the legislature gets to say whether you can continue that or not.’\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

COVID 2.0: Pennsylvania lawmakers are sounding the alarm on a 502-page health code rewrite they say would hand Gov. Josh Shapiro\u2019s Department of Health sweeping new powers \u2014 including the ability to enter private homes, access medical records, and pull children from school for\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/1luJIufSwe<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Fox News Politics (@foxnewspolitics) September 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Speaking on behalf of Pennsylvania Health Secretary Debra Bogen, spokesperson Neil Ruhland told Fox News Digital, \u201cAny misconstruing of these proposed changes designed to scare Pennsylvanians is inaccurate and disingenuous.\u201d<\/p>\n

Likewise, Shapiro spokesperson Rosie Lapowsky contended the governor has emphasized public trust and respect for parental rights.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, his rival in the 2022 gubernatorial election,\u00a0Pennsylvania state Sen. Doug Mastriano (R), current nominee for U.S. ambassador to Slovakia, told Fox News Digital, \u201cPennsylvania endured enough government overreach during COVID. We will not go back.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Shapiro seeks re-election, this year\u2019s\u00a0GOP nominee for lieutenant governor, Jason Richey, expressed in a video from early September,\u00a0\u201c\u2026 these are even worse than the COVID rules \u2026 [DOH] can look at your medical records. They can enter any building and go in without a warrant to do an investigation. They can even take your kid from school and talk to him privately without your consent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dubbing the governor \u201cpower hungry,\u201d Richey reminded about Shapiro\u2019s recent attempt to stir up a public health emergency<\/a> regarding deaths in Lancaster that the state claimed were \u201cmeasles-associated\u201d without providing the public with details about the identities of the decedents or their actual medical conditions, while his running mate, ticket-topping Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity (R), encouraged public comment while stating \u201ca power-grabbing governor like Josh Shapiro \u2026 has proven time and again that he cannot be trusted.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Josh Shapiro\u2019s proposed health department regulations are COVID 2.0. pic.twitter.com\/hksYYaBVJB<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Jason Richey (@richeyforpa) September 6, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

Josh Shapiro\u2019s 502-page rewrite of Pennsylvania\u2019s Health Code would give his government sweeping new authority over your private property, confidential medical information, and even your children.<\/p>\n

Buried within those hundreds of pages is Josh Shapiro\u2019s crusade to eliminate\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/1y1H3xbPu9<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Stacy Garrity (@GarrityForPA) September 14, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Warning of a return to the draconian playbook, GOP lawmakers in a battleground state are speaking out against the possible \u201cpolice powers\u201d that could come with new regulatory rules. \u201cThis absolutely is COVID 2.0, but it\u2019s even worse \u2026\u201d Between death toll trackers and fearmongering projections, much of the narrative around COVID relied on panic… Continue reading \u2018COVID 2.0\u2019: Swing state health overhaul triggers GOP pushback over \u2018police powers\u2019<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":671077,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[18,19,10,21,12,11,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-671086","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cancel-culture","category-censorship","category-civil-liberties","category-election-integrity","category-equal-justice","category-free-speech","category-religious-freedom","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/671086","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=671086"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/671086\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/671077"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=671086"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=671086"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=671086"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}