After lawmakers raised serious concerns about the Shapiro administration’s proposed expansion of public-health authority—and following more than 6,000 public appeals—the Pennsylvania Department of Health has withdrawn its proposed disease-control regulations.
This is a victory worth recognizing.
Earlier this month, I published an investigation into the 502-page proposal, identifying nine issues Pennsylvanians needed to understand: expanded disease-control powers, access to private medical records, parental involvement, school exclusions, and other provisions with consequences far beyond a routine regulatory update.
9 Things Pennsylvanians Need to Know About the State’s New Disease Rules — Comment by September 21
The Department of Health lost the school-mask case in 2021. Its 502-page rewrite of the disease rules gets that power back, in its own words. That’s item one. It gets worse from there, and all too reminiscent of COVID Era tyrannical measures the public is no longer willing to tolerate.
At the heart of the controversy was a fundamental question: How much authority should an agency have over our lives, and what safeguards protect the people subject to that authority?
The public read the proposal. People shared their concerns, submitted comments, and asked their representatives to act. Lawmakers challenged it. Now, the proposal has been withdrawn.
To everyone who took the time to participate: thank you. It is easy to feel powerless when consequential decisions are buried in hundreds of pages of regulatory language. Moments like this remind us why paying attention—and speaking up—matters.
Withdrawal does not prevent a revised proposal from returning. We should celebrate this outcome and remain engaged in what comes next.
Our rights endure when we exercise them. Accountability becomes possible when we insist on it.
This is why we launched Restore the First. The freedoms to speak, publish, assemble, and petition our government give us the means to challenge overreach—and demand a response. Pennsylvania’s withdrawal shows what becomes possible when people exercise those rights together.
Help us carry that momentum forward. Join the coalition, contact your lawmakers, and add your voice: www.restorethe1st.com.
Read the background investigation:
9 Things Pennsylvanians Need to Know About the State’s New Disease Rules