PA Chamber president releases statement on Gov. Wolf’s Plan for Pennsylvania

Following Gov. Tom Wolf’s announcement last week outlining his approach to reopening businesses in the state, PA Chamber of Business and Industry President and CEO Gene Barr said that components of the plan would place additional burdens on Pennsylvania’s struggling businesses.

“[Unfortunately], several components of the plan would increase costs and mandates on businesses at a time when many of them are struggling just to stay open,” Barr said. “Placing additional burdens on job creators will only exacerbate this challenge. We need policies that will allow businesses to open their doors while at the same time protecting the health and safety of their workers and customers.”

Barr expressed his appreciation for Wolf’s overall handling of state mitigation efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19 as well as the recognition of how those efforts have paid off in the decline of new COVID-19 cases in Pennsylvania. At the same time, Barr said he is disappointed in the veto of Senate Bill 613, which would have established a standard for determining exemptions for critical industries based on guidelines developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

After announcing the establishment of his Plan for Pennsylvania, Wolf made the announcement that online vehicle sales would resume in the state, curbside liquor store pickups would be available at 176 Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board locations, and that construction projects would restart beginning May 8.

The governor announced Monday that the state’s stay-at-home order would also be extended to May 8, which includes the remained closures of non-life-sustaining businesses.

“While we appreciate the governor’s announcement today providing a path forward for some industries to begin operations – notably allowing for online auto sales – and with setting a target date to begin the regional re-opening of businesses, we believe we can already safely bring many of our construction workers back to work, using appropriate guidelines and safeguards, as dozens of other states have done now for weeks. Concerns remain over the application and management of the ongoing business shutdown order,” Barr said.

Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R-25) and Majority Leader Jake Corman (R-34) argued that Senate Bill 613 not only provided a structured path forward, but offered employment protections for millions of vulnerable Pennsylvania workers. They criticized Wolf’s veto of Senate Bill 613 as a further example of the governor’s “opaque policymaking.”

“The Legislature has been actively working to fix the broken system Governor Wolf created, before many of our family-sustaining jobs disappear for good,” the senators said in a joint statement. “[It] is very troubling that he vetoed a proposal to create a public mitigation plan that would have allowed employers to operate safely during the current emergency declaration.”