08/31/2026
𝗥𝗘: 𝗚𝗼𝘃. 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗼'𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗗𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀
I am deeply troubled by Governor Josh Shapiro's proposed regulations to expand the authority of the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH). Public health protection and infectious disease response matter, but they can't come at the expense of individual rights, personal privacy and constitutional freedoms.
This isn't a routine update to disease-reporting rules. It would dramatically widen where and how DOH can exercise power, handing unelected bureaucrats more control over decisions that touch our everyday lives.
Take the provision letting DOH or a local health authority impose "any other disease control measure" it deems appropriate for "surveillance, prevention, containment or mitigation" of disease. That vague language should raise red flags. DOH itself has said the changes were shaped by the 2021 PA Supreme Court ruling that struck down its authority to impose a school-wide masking mandate during COVID. The proposal never uses the words "mask mandate," but DOH's own explanation ties this change directly back to that earlier overreach.
The expanded investigative powers are just as concerning. Health officials would be given broader authority to enter homes, apartments, health care facilities, schools, colleges, and universities whenever they judge an investigation necessary. Schools would be required to grant "reasonable and timely access" to students, even during class time or school functions, and staff could be barred from interfering. Officials could also meet with students privately, without a parent present.
The proposal further expands DOH's reach over animals, animal products, and related materials, extending government authority not just to actual emergencies but to situations DOH merely believes could become one. That's a real risk for farmers, agricultural businesses, and food producers.
And then there's the language rewrite: "pregnant woman" becomes "pregnant individual," and "mother of newborn,” is swapped in places for "postpartum individual" or other gender-neutral terms. Framed as a technical update, this quietly strips the words "woman" and "mother" from regulations that are fundamentally about pregnancy, childbirth, and motherhood. That's not science. That's ideology.
DOH has a legitimate role in protecting public health, but executive power must have limits. COVID taught us that government must not be allowed to lock us down, trample our constitutional rights, and exercise unchecked authority. Guess what folks? In 2021, you spoke loud and clear by being the first in the nation to approve constitutional amendments to rein in the governor's emergency powers. We will NEVER AGAIN repeat what Gov. Tom Wolf’s tyrannical overreach did during COVID.
Amazingly, Gov. Shapiro just said, "Hold my b**r."
Right now, you have a chance to weigh in. The public comment period runs through September 21 — submit your comments to DOH at:
📫 [email protected]
📖 Read the proposal here: tinyurl.com/33prf8vv
