State Reps. Dan Deasy (D-Allegheny) and Jake Wheatley (D-Allegheny) recently sent a letter to Gov. Tom Wolf, asking him to waive liquor license fees for restaurants and bars.
The waiver is in response to restaurants and bars having to either close or significantly cut back on hours and operations to slow the spread of COVID-19.
The lawmakers also requested the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board waive or refund this year’s license renewal and/or validation fees for licensees that have lost 25 percent or more of their business or have remained closed.
“It is critical that we help our local restaurants and bars in their time of need because these establishments connect communities,” Deasy, House Liquor Control Committee chairman, said. “We cannot sit back and watch these businesses that provide not only employment but are the fabric of our community. They bring us together, and now they need our help.”
“These businesses truly deserve a break, especially when you consider that many of them have already experienced significant losses of income,” Wheatley, House Finance Committee chairman, said.
The lawmakers admit that waiving fees will reduce state and local revenue initially, but this is better than bars and restaurants closing their doors permanently.