Last week, we were fortunate enough to be in attendance as the Bucks County Bar Association presented a seminar addressing the three separate branches of government, as a celebration of Law Day. Listening to presentations from each of the branches provided fascinating insight to see how government works, from the eyes of those who were there. Sometimes, since we are litigation attorneys focused so deeply on each case, we lose sight of the bigger picture.
From the Judicial Branch, we heard from The Honorable Robert O. Baldi, with the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas in Doylestown. Former Governor of Pennsylvania Mark Schweiker told us about his perspective from the Executive Branch. Finally, Michael G. Fitzpatrick Esq. relayed his experiences in the Legislative Branch during his eight years with the U.S. House of Representatives before he retired.
While the Pennsylvania workers’ compensation system has its own Workers’ Compensation Judges, and holds hearings (depending on the county) in locations other than a county courthouse, the system still is a product of the three branches of government. When the PA Workers’ Compensation Act was initially enacted in 1915, and in every addition, revision or amendment since, the three branches of government were involved. Indeed, just recently, the Executive Branch kept the Legislative Branch from harming injured workers across the entire State of Pennsylvania (When Gov. Wolf vetoed the incredibly flawed SB 936).