The timeline of the potential expulsion was not clear Thursday. The House is not scheduled to return to session until April 29, and the resolution would need to be adopted before an expulsion proceeding could move forward.

The new confidential process Bradford proposed also includes outcomes other than expulsion, including suspension with or without pay. The subject of any incapacity investigation would be allowed to participate in the closed-door process, along with a lawyer.

The state House last expelled a member, Rep. Leonard Sweeney, of Allegheny County, in 1975 after he was convicted of mail fraud, and only 15 members have been expelled from the House since 1683, WGAL reported.

House Minority Leader Bryan Cutler, a Republican who argued on the House floor Wednesday that Kevin Boyle’s voting rights should be immediately revoked, said Thursday that Bradford’s resolution overcomplicates the situation. Democrats should still move to revoke Kevin Boyle’s voting privileges, he said, because his whereabouts are currently unknown.

“Pennsylvania House Democrats continue to use this tragedy to further the tyranny of their majority and that is shameful,” Cutler added.

Democrats opted to keep Boyle’s voting privileges intact Wednesday.

That means until his potential expulsion, Boyle — who lost his Capitol security access in February following an outburst at a Montgomery County bar — will likely still be recorded as voting on issues before the chamber even though he is not present.

Democratic leaders are empowered to vote on his behalf because of a designation form he filed at the start of the legislative session. That process, known as proxy voting, has been expanded since the COVID-19 pandemic and allows party leaders to vote for other members. House Democrats have been using that mechanism to vote on Boyle’s behalf during the last few months even though he did not show up to work.

Democrats “already determined he’s not fit for duty,” Cutler said at a news conference Wednesday because they’ve endorsed his primary opponent and have expressed concern for his mental health. “They understand the severity of the issue and I think they’re taking advantage of him simply to maintain a 102 majority, and that’s wrong.”

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