Pa. House Dems propose new expulsion rules after Rep. Kevin Boyle voted remotely while facing a warrant

A Philadelphia Police spokesperson, Officer Tanya Little, said Thursday afternoon that Boyle is not in custody.

Boyle lost his committee chairmanship and Capitol access privileges in February after a videotaped episode at a Montgomery County bar where he was aggressively rude to the staff and appeared intoxicated.

Boyle’s status carries significant implications for the power balance in the 203-member House, currently with a 102—100 Democratic majority and a special election next week for the one vacant seat in a Republican-leaning district in the Pocono Mountains.

Republican leaders have decried Boyle’s ability to vote remotely, telling reporters Wednesday that House Democrats should have simply put Boyle on leave and accusing their Democratic counterparts of allowing Boyle to vote remotely to preserve their thin majority.

Minority Leader Bryan Cutler, a Lancaster County Republican, called Bradford’s proposal a complicated answer to a simple problem. He asked Democrats to “join with us” to stop Boyle from voting “until this issue is finally resolved.”

“Pennsylvania House Democrats continue to use this tragedy to further the tyranny of their majority and that is shameful,” Cutler said in a statement. The House returns to session April 29.

A Republican from Fayette County, Rep. Charity Grimm Krupa, announced on Wednesday she was working on a proposal to change House rules to prevent anyone from voting remotely if they are incarcerated or facing an active arrest warrant. And the only Republican in the House from Philadelphia, Rep. Martina White, said her office has been fielding calls from Boyle’s constituents because his nearby district office hasn’t been responding.

Bradford press secretary Beth Rementer said going on leave or changing a remote voting setup is each representative’s prerogative.

“To assert otherwise would allow the majority of the chamber to interfere with the will of the voters,” Rementer said in an email.

Boyle, 44, is currently facing a primary opponent as he seeks an eighth term in the House. His brother is U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle, a Democrat from a Philadelphia district.