Sen. Jim Brewster (D-Allegheny/Westmoreland) recently sent a letter to Gov. Tom Wolf outline a plan to boost the state’s economic recovery efforts, workers, and small businesses after the COVID-19 pandemic ends.
The plan would provide unemployment compensation directly to workers who lost their jobs in the pandemic; create short-term bridge grants to get business up and running as soon as possible and cover near-term expenses; expanding or repurposing bonding capacity with new financing through either the Commonwealth Financing Authority or other bonding authority with funds immediately available for grants; expand net loss carryforward; release state funds now for infrastructure and open financial levers to fund water, sewer, transportation, and community improvement projects; and appoint a Pandemic Recovery Czar to coordinate the response and the distribution of funding specifically related to the pandemic.
The plan is intended to strengthen the federal relief package being debated in the U.S. Congress.
“The federal government is capable of marshalling resources to deliver short-term economic relief for those impacted by the pandemic, and Congress is moving toward adopting a robust plan to kick-start the economy once the COVID-19 threat is contained,” Brewster said. “Without question, there will be gaps in the federal effort and that is where the state has a role to play.