A compromise on the General Assembly’s statute of limitations bill is due the end of this week and will be officially announced next week, according to Rep. Mark Rozzi (D-Berks).

Rozzi has been meeting privately with Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R-Jefferson) for the past few weeks to negotiate the language in closed door discussions.

However, multiple lawmakers expressed their certainty that the bill would pass before the elections, adding to next week’s final push by both chambers to move legislation ahead of Nov. 6.

After two years of pushing for a bill to restrict domestic abusers access to firearms, Deb Marteslo, Pennsylvania lead for Moms Demand Action, was nervous before the last barrier to the governor’s desk — a final floor vote in the state Senate.

“We’ve been stymied so many times, I wasn’t allowing myself to think it’s a done deal,” Marteslo said.

But by a 43-5 bipartisan vote, the senators approved HB 2060, which mandates convicted domestic abusers give up their guns within 24 hours of a final protection from abuse order and limits who can hold onto them for safe keeping Wednesday.

Hundreds of people bused into Harrisburg from across the state Tuesday in hopes of seeing the beginning of the end for life without parole in Pennsylvania.

But by the end of the day, they were marching around the Capitol in defiance, chanting, “Let our people go, or next election you will go.”

The advocates, many from Philadelphia or Pittsburgh, had gathered to watch a scheduled Senate Judiciary Committee vote on SB 942 from Sen. Sharif Street (D-Philadelphia), which makes life sentence recipients eligible for parole after 15 years.

After months of caucusing and discussion, the Pennsylvania House finally passed a bill aimed to limit domestic abusers access to firearms.

By a 131-62 vote, the House approved HB 2060 which requires convicted domestic abusers or final PFA recipients hand over their guns within 24 hours to a lawyer, sheriff or gun dealer.

Previously, convicted domestic abusers had 60 days to hand over weapons and could give them to a friend for safekeeping.

After narrowly passing an ordinance to pursue a countywide citizens’ police review board by an 8-6 vote in July, Allegheny County Council has continued to examine the topic at a string of public meetings. 

Even at the third of the four allotted public meetings Thursday night, the prospect of the board still evoked strong emotions from both law enforcement and citizens.

The push for a review board came after weeks of calls for reform throughout the Pittsburgh area following the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Antwon Rose Jr. in June.