FILE PHOTO: The dome of the Capitol rotunda is seen Wednesday, March 15, 2006, in Harrisburg, Pa.
Carolyn Kaster / AP Photo
FILE PHOTO: The dome of the Capitol rotunda is seen Wednesday, March 15, 2006, in Harrisburg, Pa.
Carolyn Kaster / AP Photo
This story was produced as part of a joint effort between Spotlight PA, LNP Media Group, PennLive, PA Post, and WITF to cover how Pennsylvania state government is responding to the coronavirus.
Pennsylvania’s lawmakers may be working from home, but they’re still introducing a number of bills to deal with the fallout from the coronavirus.
Here’s a rundown of what they’ve proposed so far.
When Gov. Tom Wolf declared a disaster emergency on March 6, he was able to claim expansive powers. Rep. Russ Diamond (R., Lebanon) plans to issue a resolution to terminate Wolf’s COVID-19 emergency declaration “if the need arises.”
Sen. Doug Mastriano (R., Franklin) is drafting a resolution that would call on the federal government to suspend privacy regulations for people who have tested positive for COVID-19. There should be “full disclosure of anyone who came within immediate contact of any contaminated citizen,” Mastriano said in a statement, “until the COVID-19 crisis passes.”
Lawmakers are drafting a bill to limit landlords’ right to evict tenants when a governor declares a state of emergency. The measure, from Rep. Mary Isaacson (D., Philadelphia) and Rep. Summer Lee (D., Allegheny), would “provide an exemption from eviction for workers who are unemployed, separated from their employment, or unable to find employment.”
Sen. Andy Dinniman (D., Chester) and Sen. Scott Martin (R., Lancaster) are drafting a bill that would cancel the state PSSA and Keystone exams for the remainder of this school year. The measure would also require the state Department of Education to waive federal testing requirements.
Dinniman is also drafting a measure that would give school districts authority to deliver online instruction until the end of the academic year.
Martin has proposed a bill that would require colleges and universities closed because of COVID-19 to refund all fees paid in advance, including room and board. The prorated refund would only apply from the date the institution shuttered through the end of the semester.
Rep. Joe Hohenstein (D., Philadelphia) and Sen. Larry Farnese (D., Philadelphia) want to require paid sick leave for any workers left out by a federal bill on its way to President Donald Trump’s desk, which is limited to workers who need to care for their children. The legislation could leave 19.3 million workers without any sick pay, the Washington Post reported.
The state legislation would also require employers to reinstate workers when they return from leave.
To lessen the impact on small businesses, Sen. Tom Killion (R., Chester) plans to introduce legislation that would direct table game revenue to the Department of Community and Economic Development to create zero-interest loans.
Reps. Valerie Gaydos (R., Allegheny) and Jared Solomon (D., Philadelphia) also plan to introduce legislation to create low-to-no interest loans to help small businesses survive. The bill will outline two types of loans: one will be short-term funding to meet payroll and overhead expenses; the other will be for “long-term resiliency” to help businesses recover over time.
A measure by Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (D., Philadelphia) would allow a 60-day grace period for repayment of student loans issued by the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency.
Rep. David Rowe (R., Union) and Rep. Frank Ryan (R., Lebanon) are writing a measure that would suspend sales and personal income tax collection until the disaster declaration is lifted.
The IRS will keep its tax-filing deadline as April 15, but the U.S. Treasury announced Tuesday it will waive interest and penalties for 90 days after that date. Rep. Joe Ciresi (D., Montgomery) plans to introduce legislation that would apply a 60-day extension for Pennsylvanians to file state income taxes when the state is under a disaster declaration.
All Pennsylvanians are now eligible to vote by mail. Rep. Kevin Boyle (D., Philadelphia) wants to encourage that by mailing all voters that kind of ballot ahead of the April 28 primary.
Rep. Dan Williams (D., Chester) plans to introduce legislation to allow elections officials to open votes submitted by mail before the polls close. House Majority Leader Bryan Cutler (R., Lancaster) previously said this is a part of discussions with Gov. Tom Wolf to “clean-up” a comprehensive voting reform bill passed last year.
A proposed state Senate bill would support workers while quarantined or in isolation during a public health emergency. Sen. Steve Santarsiero (D., Bucks) said in a memo to his colleagues that Pennsylvania does not have a law that addresses whether an employer can fire a worker under these conditions during a state of emergency.
A measure by Rep. Ed Neilson (D., Philadelphia) would provide unemployment compensation for people who have been ordered to quarantine or isolate because of the coronavirus. His bill would not offer extended benefits to people who used paid time off or paid sick days during quarantine or isolation.
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