Steve Miskin, when pressed, insisted Turzai wasn't going to run a bill "that was not vetted," even though the bill was discussed extensively inside and outside of Republican caucus meetings. Miskin also claimed Turzai never discussed with his staff the bill or why he blocked members from voting on it.
"Decent and compassionate legislators who wanted to do the right thing didn't even get a chance to vote on this bill," says Heidi Prescott, HSUS senior vice-president. For 25 years, Prescott has led the fight against pigeon shoots. It is a fight joined by the Federated Humane Societies of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association, the Pennsylvania Council of Churches, and numerous other groups.
The last free-standing vote in the House to ban pigeon shoots occurred in 1994. Although the vote was 99--93 to ban the shoots, a majority of 102 votes was required. Later bills were scuttled, usually by leadership of both political parties, most of them afraid of the suspected wrath of the NRA.
Turzai, by his action, says Prescott, "proves he continues to support barbaric practices and not humane legislation."
Turzai refuses to say why he didn't bring the bill for a vote. There are some possibilities.
Speaker of the House Sam Smith had written a constituent he had "heard from many across the state [who felt] that the amendment on pigeon shoots could be used as a gateway to ban all forms of hunting." This, of course, is the NRA voice that Smith heard. More than three-fourths of all Pennsylvanians want to see an end to pigeon shoots, according to a statewide survey by the independent Mason-Dixon Polling and Research Co. About four-fifth of all residents say the practice is animal cruelty.
Turzai, Smith, and certain members of the House probably didn't want to see the bill come up for a vote because if the Rules Committee and the House agreed with the NRA and voted against the bill, with its two parts, they could be accused of voting for continued animal cruelty. If they voted for the bill, they would receive retribution from the gun-rights lobby two weeks before the election. Turzai has no fear of losing the election. For the second consecutive election he is running unopposed. However, for Turzai and many others, not voting on the bill wasn't a matter of conscience but a reality of trying to maintain an "A" rating from the NRA.
Smith had said a vote on the bill "is not likely to be acted on before the end of the current legislative session." Thus, even if Turzai wanted to bring the bill to a vote in the Rules Committee, Smith, with almost absolute power in the House, would have kept it from being voted upon by the House.
The Rules committee and the House had no problem approving at least one controversial bill. HB 80 was originally a bill that would penalize those who steal secondary metals (including copper) from construction sites. Late in the last day of the session, the House approved vague language in the amended bill to allow the NRA and any other organization to sue local municipalities that enact ordinances that establish greater restrictions upon firearms background checks and ownership than that of the state. The new law also restricts local municipalities from creating and enforcing ordinances that require residents to report lost or stolen firearms.
The day after HB 1750 didn't come up for a vote, Turzai apparently recanted his previous comment about bringing the bill to a vote. In his office, Seeton says he now told her and Sen. Afflerbach he never promised it would get a vote, but that "I'll help you to get the vote to the House floor." The House reconvenes for one day, Nov. 12; it's the last day of the two-year session; no votes are expected.
Turzai is one of the Republican leaders who during the 2012 election year pushed for Voter ID in Pennsylvania. He forcefully declared several times there was significant voter fraud and that the new rules would prevent fraud. In court, however, Republican state officials reluctantly denied there was a history of voter fraud or that the absence of voter ID would allow fraud to occur. An additional truth came out at a Republican State Committee meeting, Turzai had said that Voter ID requirements would "allow Gov. [Mitt] Romney to win the state of Pennsylvania," thus acknowledging that the strict requirements would disenfranchise primarily the poor and some minorities, who typically vote for Democrats, and the elderly, giving Romney an edge in the presidential election and Corbett an edge in the gubernatorial election. Commonwealth Court judge Robert Simpson, in his ruling against forced Voter ID, called Turzai's comments "disturbing" and partisan.
Turzai boasts an "A+" rating from the NRA Political Victory Fund, and high ratings from numerous far-right conservative organizations. His record on the environment, social justice, and human rights has earned him grades of "F." His report card should also show grades of "F" for truth, credibility, courage, and ability to recognize and prevent animal cruelty. But at least he'll be qualified to get the NRA-ILA award for defending animal cruelty.
[Dr. Brasch is an award-winning social issues/investigative journalist who has covered politics and government more than 40 years. He is a former newspaper and magazine reporter and editor; multimedia writer-producer, and author of 20 books. His current book is Fracking Pennsylvania: Flirting With Disaster.]
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