By Kevin Zwick
Staff Reporter
Capitolwire
HARRISBURG (Sept. 18) – Gov. Tom Wolf recalled more than a dozen executive nominations Friday to allow more negotiation between the administration and Senate Republican leadership, a move taken as a nice gesture that breaks up the otherwise heated rhetoric of the budget stalemate.
But don’t hold onto hopes the move will alleviate the impasse and bring either side out of their dug-in positions.
“I don’t know that it’s overly significant,” said Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, R-Centre. “It was nice of him to do, I thank him for giving us more time to put a fuller package together.”
Corman said the Republicans and Wolf have “real differences” and finding a middle ground on the budget is “going to be hard.”
“That won’t have anything to do with nominations,” Corman continued. “It’s nice to work together and get some things accomplished such as that but the differences on taxes…the governor wants such a large tax increase which we just don’t have votes for.”
Wolf’s recall of the nominations resets the 25-legislative-day clock on nominations. Most of the appointments Wolf recalled were edging up to the deadline for Senate action. After 25 legislative days with no action, the nominations would automatically be approved, according to Dave Thomas, Senate GOP counsel.
Corman said Friday a fuller package of nominations will focus on boards, commissions and university appointments and not likely judicial picks due to the close election date.
A total of 18 nominations were voted out of the Senate Rules Committee on Thursday, but Wolf recalled 17 of them Friday. His appointment to the Public Utility Commission, Andrew Place, will proceed to a full Senate vote when the chamber returns in two weeks.
The recalled appointments include two to the Board of Probation and Parole, two to the Public Employee Retirement Commission, two to the State Board of Medicine and two to the State Board of Education, as well as three trustees to California University of Pennsylvania, four to the board of governors at the State System of Higher Education, one to the University of Pittsburgh board of trustees and a reappointment to the Temple University board of trustees.
The ongoing back and forth over the nominations started earlier this year when Wolf recalled dozens of nominations he said were “eleventh hour” picks by lame duck Gov. Tom Corbett.
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