PA Chamber applauds House passage of COVID-19 liability protections bill

The Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry applauded the advancement of House Bill 605, which seeks to provide certain protections to small businesses against frivolous COVID-19-related lawsuits.

“As we have repeatedly stated since the early days of the pandemic, targeted liability protections for those entities that are acting in good faith and following state and federal health guidelines are a critical component to the Commonwealth’s economic recovery,” said PA Chamber President and CEO Gene Barr.

House Bill 605, introduced last month by state Rep. Torren Ecker (R-Adams/Cumberland), would offer limited civil liability protections to healthcare providers, schools, small business owners, farmers, restaurants, and others that complied with state and federal COVID-19 mandates. Additionally, the legislation would allow legitimate actions alleging personal injury or death relating to exposure to COVID-19 first to be heard by a board of three bar members of the court in a compulsory arbitration.

The legislation passed with a vote of 107-94 on Tuesday and is now in the Senate for consideration.

“It’s important to note, that House Bill 605 does not provide blanket immunity and bad actors will still be held accountable,” Barr continued. “These liability protections are targeted, narrow in scope and temporary – which Pennsylvania businesses desperately need as they struggle to overcome the economic challenges the COVID-19 pandemic has placed on them.”

Twenty-six states and the District of Columbia have enacted various forms of legislation that provide targeted and temporary liability protections for appropriate entities.

“Businesses that did their best to provide our communities with safe ways to get essential goods and followed the necessary precautions should not have to worry about the threat of costly litigation,” Ecker said. “This is a commonsense approach that won’t tie up our legal system, hamper business growth and stifle our economy even more.”

House Bill 605 is part of a comprehensive legislative package under the “Commonwealth’s COVID Comeback” initiative, which seeks to incentivize manufacturers and provide protections to small businesses. The initiative also seeks to offer tax and regulatory reform to bring family-sustaining jobs to Pennsylvania.