HARRISBURG — Monday is the deadline by which Gov. Tom Wolf must make a decision about whether to deny or grant local officials the exclusive authority to make decisions about holding school sports and activities and who can attend them.

Although the governor has publicly said he would veto the measure identified as House Bill 2787, a bipartisan band of House members gathered in the Ryan Office Building next to the state Capitol on Wednesday for a news conference to urge him to change his mind.

“It is truly time to give people their voice back and ensure children have their best and, in my opinion, complete educational opportunities,” said House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff, R-Centre County. “We encourage Governor Wolf to join the Legislature in this bipartisan effort in signing this bill once and for all.”

Pa. Democratic lawmakers face difficult vote on high school sports bill that Gov. Wolf plans to veto

The legislation would grant public and non-public school officials control on decisions about holding interscholastic and other extra-curricular activities. Wolf has said that part of the legislation is unnecessary because local officials already have that authority. However, lawmakers have said the measure is needed to ensure that remains the situation since the governor, through the use of the expanded powers he has as a result of the COVID-19 emergency disaster declaration, could take that authority away from them at any time.

It also would leave it up to local officials to decide how many people could attend. Currently, schools are limited to 250 at outdoor events and 25 at indoor events, including the activity’s participants, but no more than 50% of a venue’s capacity. Wolf’s spokeswoman has said that lifting those caps has the potential to lead to gatherings of thousands of people in close proximity which is “a well-known public health risk” in the midst of the pandemic.

Rep. Mike Reese, R-Westmoreland County, who sponsored the bill, said that one-size-fits-all approach to crowd limits doesn’t work in a diverse state like Pennsylvania. He said limiting attendance to 250 in a stadium that can seat thousands “simply doesn’t make sense,” let alone 25 for an indoor activity that could lead to some participants standing outside in a hallway or parking lot.

“Local officials know their facilities and have no less commitment to public safety than Governor Wolf,” Reese said. “Therefore, it makes sense that they should be able to make those decisions.”

Rep. Bill Kortz, D-Allegheny County, one of four Democratic House members who joined the few dozen Republicans at the news conference, said allowing students to participate in sports and extra-curricular activities is all part of the “high school experience” along with allowing parents and family members to be there to cheer them on.

“Let’s not detract from the high school experience of these children,” Kortz said.

Rep. Joe Emrick, R-Northampton County, built on that statement by sharing his own recollections of playing sports in high school and having his parents there to watch him. He said his father waited outside the locker room after every game to be the first to give him a “soft open arm hug” and tell him how proud he was, followed by a hug from his mother.

“Those are the memories I cherish the most of those experiences,” Emrick said. “I could not fathom the notion that my parents could not come to a game to see me play.”

And there’s no making up for those moments, he added. “Once these time periods are gone, you never get it back. They cannot be recovered.”

So he and other lawmakers who spoke called on Wolf “respectfully” to reconsider his planned veto and sign the bill. Benninghoff said the governor has said he wants to work with the Legislature and signing this bill is a “golden opportunity to do that.”

If Wolf decides to veto it, leaders of the GOP-controlled House and Senate said a veto override vote would soon follow. The bill passed both chambers with enough bi-partisan support to achieve the two-thirds’ majority needed for a veto override if the vote totals remain the same.