The House Majority Policy Committee, chaired by Rep. Donna Oberlander (R-Clarion/Armstrong/Forest), recently held a roundtable discussion in Juniata County about the business issues affecting rural Pennsylvania.
The roundtable discussion, which was hosted by Rep. John Hershey (R-Mifflin/Juniata/Franklin), featured representatives from a dozen local businesses, local government, and nonprofit organizations.
Topics covered at the roundtable discussion included regulatory and tax burdens, infrastructure challenges, career and technical education, rural broadband availability and recreational marijuana and its impact on the workforce.
“We have a lot of good jobs in Pennsylvania, but we need to ensure that we have in place training programs, public-private partnerships and relationships with career and technical education so our residents can obtain the positions available,” said Oberlander, who has organized a series of roundtable discussions with small businesses across Pennsylvania this year. “We’ve been amazed at the information we’ve received, and we’ve had some opportunity to develop ideas from these discussions into legislation.”
“It was fantastic to have my colleagues join me in Juniata County, where we heard about the successes and challenges of some of our regional businesses,” Hershey said. “There are great things happening in Juniata, Mifflin, and Franklin counties, but our businesses face the same issues with overregulation and finding skilled employees as elsewhere. I thank those who spoke candidly during the Policy Committee visit.”
Specifically, a manufacturer discussed concerns about the relatively low weight limits on highways that lead to having more tractor-trailers on the roads. A local winery brought up the need for additional permits to sell their products at off-site special events. The local chamber of commerce emphasized the need to change the culture and misperception of blue-collar jobs.
In addition to Oberlander and Hershey, House Republican members who attended the event included Reps. Matt Gabler (R-Clearfield/Elk), Torren Ecker (R-Adams/Cumberland), Barb Gleim (R-Cumberland), and David Rowe (R-Snyder/Union).
Following the discussion, members took a tour of Energex American Inc., the second-largest wood pellet manufacturer in North America. The business has been at its Pennsylvania location since 2000.
This event also highlighted Good Jobs for PA, a legislation package that the House advanced earlier this year to improve career and technical education and help students find good-paying jobs.