HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – A special panel within Pennsylvania’s state government is rejecting a request by state House Republicans that it force the Health Department to formally adopt the statewide mask order in schools as a regulation or stop the policy altogether. The Joint Committee on Documents voted 7 to 4 on Thursday to uphold the validity of Acting Health Secretary Alison Beam’s Aug. 31 order. The order applies to K-12 schools and child care facilities and is designed to halt the spread of the coronavirus. The committee is an obscure entity that includes of members of Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration, other executive branch officials and legislative leaders.