Proposed bill would task Pennsylvania National Guard with vaccine administration

(The Center Square) – Legislators in Pennsylvania moved a measure Friday that would activate the National Guard to deliver COVID-19 vaccines as frustration mounts over the state’s pace of administration thus far.

House Bill 326 received unanimous support on the floor after the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee reported the measure out Wednesday, despite concerns from some Democrats that the state still lacks enough vaccines for faster distribution and the proposal, itself, sets an unusual precedent for calling on troops.

“This isn’t normally how we call the guard to serve either in a state or federal way,” Rep. Joe Webster, D-West Norriton, said during the committee meeting. “Based on my experience in the Pentagon, the National Guard Bureau probably doesn’t want this to be the precedent to how we call the guard into service.”

Webster voted no to advance the bill to the House floor, but agreed with other lawmakers that the issue could not wait, despite an ongoing imbalance between the state’s weekly vaccine supply and the 3.5 million residents eligible for immunization in Phase 1A. He voted in favor of the bill Friday.

So far, the state has administered about 55 percent of the 2.2 million doses it has received from the federal government. The New York Times vaccine tracker estimates that about 7.5 percent of the state’s 12.8 million residents have received the first dose, while another 2 percent have been fully immunized.

“I see this as getting everything into line when the vaccines come,” said Majority Chairwoman Karen Boback, R-Dallas. “And they will come.”

President Joe Biden promised to ramp up vaccine distribution and get 150 million Americans inoculated in his first 100 days in office. Gov. Tom Wolf said Thursday, however, the increase in supply the state receives – about 170,000 doses anticipated next week – has yet to match the pace necessary to accomplish that goal.

Beyond that, health care providers told lawmakers this week during hearings in both the Senate and House that getting shots into arms remains a manpower issue.

Residents also struggle to schedule an appointment and often spend hours online or on the phone contacting identified vaccine providers trying secure a spot – an obstacle that critics say rewards the internet savvy and shuts out the people most prioritized, including essential workers and the elderly.

Calls to centralize a registration system and waiting list at the state level have grown louder, though Wolf said he still isn’t sure it’s the best way to go.

“The governor has yet to consult with the General Assembly on anything he is doing in terms of the handling of the pandemic,” said Rep. Rob Kauffman, R-Shippensburg. “We have already witnessed the destruction his decisions have had on the state economy and our small business community, not to mention our schools; we cannot afford a failure when it comes to vaccine distribution as well.”

Kauffman said deploying the National Guard would make the best use of their manpower and logistical expertise.

“The Guard is doing this same thing in many other states with great success,” he said. “They are a valuable resource we need to use to meet this particular challenge.”

The House amended the bill Thursday to include a requirement that the National Guard develop regional distribution plans within 45 days. The administration would also be required to provide a report to the General Assembly that details how the state integrated the National Guard into its vaccine deployment and administration efforts.

Prime sponsor Rep. Tim O’Neal, R-Washington, said Wednesday the administration will remain neutral on the bill so long as the amendments remain. It now moves to the Senate for consideration.

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