INSIDE THIS REPORT:
•     Monday’s Department of Health Data Report
•     House Republicans elect new leadership

Monday’s Department of Health Data Report
On Monday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health today confirmed as of 12:00 a.m., June 22, there were 456 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 82,186. Approximately 6,219 of our total cases are in health care workers.

In nursing and personal care homes, there are 17,177 resident cases of COVID-19, and 3,053 cases among employees, for a total of 20,230 at 667 distinct facilities in 49 counties. A county breakdown can be found here.

There are 6,426 total deaths attributed to COVID-19, an increase of 3 new deaths. Out of our total deaths, 4,389 have occurred in residents from nursing or personal care facilities. County-specific information and a statewide map are available here.

There are 585,662 patients who have tested negative to date. There are 631 patients who have a positive serology test and either COVID-19 symptoms or a high-risk exposure, which are considered probable cases and not confirmed cases. Of the patients who have tested positive to date the age breakdown is as follows:

• Nearly 1% are ages 0-4;
• 1% are ages 5-12;
• 2% are ages 13-18;
• 6% are ages 19-24;
• Nearly 37% are ages 25-49;
• Nearly 25% are ages 50-64; and
• Nearly 28% are ages 65 or older.

Most of the patients hospitalized are ages 65 or older, and most of the deaths have occurred in patients 65 or older. More data is available here.

Statewide – The Wolf Administration has since noon, June 21:

• Provided an update from Pennsylvania State Police on business closure enforcement actions.

State House of Representatives elects Cutler Speaker, GOP elects new leadership
House Majority Leader Bryan Cutler (R, Lancaster) was elected unanimously Monday afternoon to serve as the 141st Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, succeeding former House Speaker Mike Turzai as the chamber’s top-ranking official.

Cutler, 45, has been a member of the House since 2007.  He was in his first term as majority leader after being elected by his colleagues in 2018, At the urging of House Minority Leader Frank Dermody (D, Allegheny),  who praised Cutler’s “fairness and dignity,” the new Speaker was elected unanimously.

On his election, Cutler said he would follow three guiding principles from the rostrum. “Let us treat each other, other elected leaders and our constituents with respect. Second, let us not ask someone else to do something we ourselves are not willing to do. And finally, when our term of service is concluded, let us leave things better than when we found them,” Cutler said. “And let us do our work together — that is the most important point of all.”

After Cutler’s election, Republicans caucused for several hours filling vacancies created by each new leadership election.  In the closed caucus, House Majority Whip Kerry Benninghoff (R, Centre) was elected to succeed Cutler as majority leader.  Rep. Donna Oberlander (R, Clarion), who had been serving as Majority Policy Committee chair, was elected to replace Benninghoff as Majority Whip, making her only the second woman to be named whip in the House’s history. Oberlander was first elected to the House in 2008.

With her election, Rep. Martin Causer (R, McKean), the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee Chair, prevailed over no less than six other members of the House to become Policy Committee chair.  The Policy Committee works with the other GOP committees to advance policy priorities of the caucus through hearings, meetings and public discussions across the Commonwealth, conducting research and generating policy proposals.