Enews Updates - March 26, 2021

In This Update:

Manheim & Lititz Small Business Owners Featured in Prioritize PA Small Businesses Video
Highlights from Bipartisan Election Integrity Committee’s First Hearing
How to Schedule a Vaccine Appointment at the Lancaster County Community Vaccination Center
After Wolf’s Blunder, Senate Votes to Support Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse
Budget Hearings Focus on Job Creation, Broadband, Corrections Costs
Eight Counties Added to Spotted Lanternfly Quarantine
PennDOT CDL and Learner’s Permit Extensions End March 31

Manheim & Lititz Small Business Owners Featured in Prioritize PA Small Businesses Video

How have Governor Wolf’s COVID-19 mitigation efforts affected your small business? Listen to these small business owners from across the Commonwealth talk about their experiences for the past year and how the legislation in Senator Camera Bartolotta, Senator Kristin Phillips-Hill, Senator Judy Ward, and my Prioritize PA Small Businesses package could help them rebuild in the aftermath of the pandemic.

As part of the Prioritize PA Small Businesses initiative, we are seeking to elevate the voices of small business owners from across the Commonwealth to bring awareness to the grave impacts the pandemic has had on our communities’ locally owned businesses. We invited entrepreneurs from across the state to participate in a video project where they shared how the pandemic has impacted their business and how an effort to “prioritize PA small businesses” would be beneficial to them.

Local small business owners Scott Bowser from the PA Renaissance Faire in Manheim and Rob Commero from Lititz Springs Inn & Bulls Head Public House in Lititz graciously agreed to participate in the video project. You can listen to their story and others by pressing play on the video above.

Learn more about the Prioritize PA Small Businesses initiative here.

Highlights from Bipartisan Election Integrity Committee’s First Hearing

Check out these video clip highlights from the Senate Special Committee on Election Integrity & Reform’s first hearing focused on best practices of Colorado, Utah, and Florida, all states considered to be among the best in secure and efficient election systems.

After reviewing the testimony, I found it noteworthy that all 3 states require:

Voter ID
Accurate voter registration records
Signature verification
Drop box surveillance

The bipartisan Special Committee on Election Integrity and Reform held its second public hearing earlier this week to gather testimony on the administration of the election from state and local officials, including representatives from the Department of State, county election officials and county commissioners.

State residents are encouraged to submit their thoughts and comments through the online form.

How to Schedule a Vaccine Appointment at the Lancaster County Community Vaccination Center

A message from the Vaccinate Lancaster staff: Get your shot of hope when it’s your turn.

Need Help Registering?

Call: 717-588-1020
Mon-Fri: 7:00am – 5:00pm
Sat: 8:30am – 12:30pm

Need a Ride?

Ride for FREE on Red Rose Transit. Bus Route 2 / Park City B has dedicated a stop at the vaccination center. Call 717-397-4246 for more information. Senior citizens and persons with disabilities can also access the vaccination center through Red Rose Access shared-ride service – FREE. Call 1-800-892-1122 for more information.

After Wolf’s Blunder, Senate Votes to Support Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse

The Senate re-started the process this week to amend the Pennsylvania Constitution to allow victims of childhood sexual abuse to file lawsuits against their abusers even if the statute of limitations had expired. The resolution would address the issue after an egregious blunder by the Wolf Administration will prevent the amendment from appearing on the ballot in the spring primary election on May 18.

Lawmakers approved a proposed Constitutional amendment that would create a two-year window for retroactive lawsuits for victims whose statute of limitations has already expired. However, the Wolf Administration failed to properly advertise the amendment, meaning sexual assault survivors must now wait until 2023 at the earliest for the measure to be considered by voters.

Lawmakers weighed several different options to fully rectify the Wolf Administration’s blunder. However, none of these options – including an emergency amendment to the Constitution or legislation to open a two-year window for lawsuits – were likely to withstand legal challenges and would have provided false hope to sexual assault survivors.

Creating a window for retroactive lawsuits would complete all the recommendations of a 2018 Grand Jury Report that detailed shocking cases of the sexual abuse of children.

Lawmakers have already created laws to address the other recommendations, including eliminating the criminal statute of limitations for future cases of sexual abuse of a child, as well as associated crimes such as human trafficking; extending the deadline for civil actions from age 30 to age 55; clarifying mandatory reporting standards for suspected cases of abuse; increasing penalties for mandated reporters who continue to fail to report suspected child abuse; and ensuring survivors who sign non-disclosure statements are not prohibited from speaking with law enforcement regarding their abuse.

Budget Hearings Focus on Job Creation, Broadband, Corrections Costs

The Senate Appropriations Committee continued to study Governor Wolf’s budget proposal on Monday with budget hearings with the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED), the Department of Corrections and the Board of Probation and Parole.

The conversation with DCED focused on programs designed to spur job growth, including tax credits to support manufacturing and other critical industries. Members of the committee also raised concerns about the governor’s proposed cuts to broadband funding for underserved areas.

Lawmakers also learned during the Corrections hearing that the number of inmates was reduced by more than 6,000 over the past year, which is the largest drop in Pennsylvania history, with an anticipated further reduction of 2,000 inmates next year.

Budget hearings are scheduled to continue on April 6.

Eight Counties Added to Spotted Lanternfly Quarantine

The spotted lanternfly is an invasive species that feeds on many types of plants that are important to Pennsylvania’s economy. Eight counties were recently added to the quarantine zone, bringing the statewide total to 34 counties under restriction.

One estimate found that under a worst-case scenario, the spotted lanternfly could lead to more than $550 million in expected losses for Pennsylvania’s economy and nearly 5,000 jobs lost. Pennsylvanians are encouraged to report sightings of the spotted lanternfly by calling 1-888-422-3359 and to destroy any egg masses or spotted lanternflies they see.

PennDOT CDL and Learner’s Permit Extensions End March 31

The expiration dates for commercial driver licenses (CDL) and commercial learner’s permits have been extended several times during the COVID-19 pandemic. The final extension is scheduled to expire on March 31, and no additional extensions are expected to be offered.

Motorists who are covered by extensions that run from March 16, 2020, through March 31, 2021, are encouraged to renew these licenses and permits as soon as possible before they expire next week.