State lawmakers on Thursday heard testimony from accusers in the sexual harassment investigation of Schuylkill County Commissioner George F. Halcovage Jr.

The state House is trying to determine if Halcovage should be impeached. If the House impeaches Halcovage the state Senate would hold a trial to determine if he should be removed from office.

Halcovage did not testify or attend Thursday’s testimony.

On Sunday, his attorney, Gerard J. Geiger, sent a statement on his behalf to reporters.

“My attorney was contacted by the attorney for a House subcommittee requesting me to provide nonpublic and unsworn testimony this past Thursday.

“I understand that my accusers and others, which did not include any of my supporters, were asked to make statements not under oath, not made in public and not subject to cross-examination, which is a hallmark of due process. And, as unsworn testimony, there is little consequence if their statements were not accurate. Upon advice from my attorney, I did not attend Thursday’s meeting. However, upon the conclusion of depositions in the federal case, my attorney and I would meet informally or even formally with the House subcommittee at its convenience.”

The statement was signed by Halcovage.

The House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Courts, which heard the testimony, expects to hold a voting meeting on the matter today.

Thursday’s hearing was held behind closed doors. It was not made public who testified.

In his statement, Halcovage referred to the federal sexual harassment lawsuit filed on March 16, 2021 by four women who worked at the county courthouse. They contend the harassment began in 2012, the year Halcovage was first elected.

Depositions in that case are scheduled to begin this week.

In their suit, the women are referred to as “Jane Does.”

They filed an amended suit in October 2021, alleging other county officials tried to cover up the misconduct and that retribution was exacted against them for filing the suit.

The suit stems from an investigation by the county Human Resources Department that began with a letter to then-Human Resources Director Deborah Twigg on May 22, 2020. In June 2020, she and the county solicitors office determined Halcovage violated the sexual harassment, conduct and disciplinary action, and physical and verbal abuse policies.

Had he not been an elected official, the transgressions would have gotten him fired, the documents state.

In July 2020, District Attorney Michael A. O’Pake, citing conflict of interest because he’s a county employee, gave the investigation in July to the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office.

In February 2021, the AG’s office determined that Halcovage should not be charged.

A month later, the women filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court, Scranton.

In January, of this year, the six-member subcommittee voted unanimously to begin the impeachment investigation.

In these cases, elected officials can only be removed by impeachment.

The House has to vote to remove him from office, followed by a Senate trial.