Allegheny County Council voted down two bills Tuesday — one intended to expand coronavirus testing at county facilities, and the other banning the use of “less-lethal” weapons by law enforcement.

Both bills were sponsored by council members Liv Bennett, D-Northview Heights, and at-large representative Bethany Hallam, D-Ross.

The coronavirus testing bill would have required mass testing at the Allegheny County Jail, Kane Community Living Centers and among all county employees and contractors.

The bill failed 10-5. Voting in favor along with Bennett and Hallam were Pat Catena, D-Carnegie; Paul Klein, D-Point Breeze; and Anita Prizio, D-O’Hara.

As of Tuesday, July 14, 32 out of 253 inmates who were at one time in the Allegheny County Jail tested positive for covid-19. Of that total, one test is pending and four inmates who have tested positive are currently in the facility.

The 28 others have been released or have recovered, county data show.

Of the 77 Allegheny County Jail staffers who were tested since mid-March, eight have tested positive and three tests are pending.

At the Kane Centers, 19 residents of the Glen Hazel facility have died from covid-19 while the other three facilities have not reported any deaths.

‘Less-lethal’ ban fails, 12-3

The “less-lethal” weapons bill, also sponsored by Bennett and Hallam, would have banned the use of devices like tear gas, flash-bang grenades or rubber bullets by the Allegheny County Police Department to break up protests.

That bill was first introduced in early June after Pittsburgh police used tear gas to disperse protests in response to police brutality across the nation.

Bennett, Hallam and Prizio were the only three council members to support the bill.

The other 12, including nine other Democrats and the council’s three Republicans, voted against the bill.

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