Republican state lawmakers along with the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry praised Gov. Tom Wolf’s decision to allow the restarting of construction projects in Pennsylvania on May 1.
“The more than 260,000 hard-working men and women in Pennsylvania’s construction trades got good news tonight as Gov. Wolf announced the opening of all construction projects next week on May 1,” Speaker of the House Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny) said on April 22. “This announcement follows House action yesterday, including the bipartisan passage of House Bill 2400, which I authored. This bill would safely open construction projects.”
Turzai this week had emphasized the importance of his legislation allowing all public and private construction activities to resume under adherence to COVID-19 mitigation efforts set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
House Bill 2400 had advanced out of the House Wednesday. The bill would allow public and private construction activities that adhere to social distancing practices and other mitigation measures defined by the CDC to protect workers.
“Gov. Wolf and I had a positive discussion today; he was open to the suggestion that construction activities could be done safely, allowing tradespersons to resume their important work – much of it seasonal,” Turzai said on Wednesday. “Working with him on this issue showed we can move forward together on fighting COVID-19 while rebuilding the economy.”
PA Chamber President and CEO Gene Barr on Thursday said the governor’s decision to open construction work was a positive step towards restarting the state’s economy.
“We appreciate the delicate balance our elected officials must take in protecting public health, while at the same time preventing a complete economic shutdown,” Barr said. “However, in order to keep Pennsylvania on a competitive footing with other states, we have pushed for allowing businesses and industries that are safely able to continue operations to be permitted to do so.”
“Throughout the pandemic, most states have exempted construction work from business closure orders. We are pleased that the Commonwealth will soon join those ranks,” Barr added.
Wolf had previously announced that public and private residential and non-residential construction may resume statewide starting May 8, in accordance with strict federal health guidelines. Construction projects already deemed life-sustaining may continue. Turzai had argued that operations should resume immediately with House Bill 2400 signed into law.
Since March 15, more than 1.5 million unemployment compensation claims have been filed in Pennsylvania.
“The people who work in the construction trades can see light now at the end of this COVID-19 tunnel,” Turzai said. “This is about employees and self-employed persons in construction who want to put food on the table and provide shelter for their families.”
Currently, 47 states have allowed public and private construction projects to continue through the COVID-19 crisis. Pennsylvania was the only state to shut down all active public and private construction sites while issuing selective waivers.