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In This Update:

• Senate Approves Resolution to Free PA from Governor’s COVID-19 Shutdown
• Bill Would Require Legislative Approval of Extended Emergency Declarations
• Senator Aument COVID-19 Response Timeline
• COVID-19 Testing for Long-Term Care Facilities Not Required to be Completed until July 24
• Future PUA Payments to be Paid by Debit Card
• State Plan on Aging Survey

Senate Approves Resolution to Free PA from Governor’s COVID-19 Shutdown

Governor Wolf’s extended lockdown of Pennsylvania is hurting families and doing irreparable harm to employers. This week, I voted in favor of a resolution that would end the governor’s executive order to shut down businesses statewide.

House Resolution 836 would end the governor’s disaster declaration and allow all companies in Pennsylvania to operate safely and consumers to use their services without the need for a business waiver. The measure legally compels Governor Wolf to rescind his emergency order; he does not have the option to sign or veto it.

Because the governor has refused to carry out his mandatory duty to act, the Senate filed in the state’s Commonwealth Court urging the court to “command” the governor to terminate the declaration in accordance with the law.

Ending the disaster declaration will not jeopardize Pennsylvania’s ability to access federal funding or respond to any possible resurgence of COVID-19. It would only prevent the governor from continuing to suspend state laws, spend money indiscriminately, and keep businesses shut down indefinitely.

Although many of us supported Governor Wolf’s actions to slow the spread of the virus in March, his prolonged business shutdowns are clearly doing more harm than good today. Unfortunately, as long as he continues to refuse to rescind his order, all of the existing executive orders, color codes, etc. from the governor remain in effect until the matter is settled by the courts. I will continue to do all I can to put an end to the shutdown and get Pennsylvania back to work safely in the days and weeks ahead.

Bill Would Require Legislative Approval of Extended Emergency Declarations

During a prolonged period of emergency, cooperation between all branches of government is crucial. Governor Wolf’s unwillingness to work with the General Assembly is one of the biggest reasons why Pennsylvanians are suffering needlessly right now.

The Senate approved a bill with bipartisan support this week to limit the length of an emergency declaration to 30 days unless approved for a longer duration by the General Assembly. The bill would ensure collaboration during emergencies and restore the system of checks and balances that our government is founded upon.

The need for the legislation has been highlighted by Governor Wolf’s refusal to work with the General Assembly throughout the COVID-19 public health emergency. The governor has used the disaster declaration for nearly 100 days to suspend state statutes, spend taxpayer dollars without legislative approval, and keep millions of Pennsylvanians from earning a living through his business shutdown orders.

The bill also would amend the Pennsylvania Constitution to prohibit the denial of equal rights based on race or ethnicity. The change would bring the state Constitution into line with the equal protections afforded by the U.S. Constitution.

Because Senate Bill 1166 would require an amendment to the Pennsylvania Constitution, the bill must be passed by the Senate and House of Representatives in two consecutive legislative sessions and be approved by voters via referendum.

Senator Aument COVID-19 Response Timeline

As part of my Restore & Reimagine PA initiative, my team and I are collecting your feedback – your thoughts, your ideas, your challenges, and your solutions – to issues resulting from the pandemic that you see and experience firsthand in your communities, schools, businesses, and families. However, in order to know what to do next, we must also know what’s already been done. To that end, I have created a comprehensive COVID-19 response timeline that has details and hyperlinks to all actions I have taken throughout the pandemic to serve, protect, and represent my constituents during this difficult time. Here are some examples from the past month:

June 12th, 2020: Senator Aument hosted a Zoom Roundtable Discussion with local government leaders from across Lancaster County to answer questions and gather feedback as part of his Restore & Reimagine PA initiative.

May 28th, 2020: Senator Aument supported passage of an interim $25.8 billion state budget proposal and a package of bills designed to support families, businesses, employees, and organizations affected by the pandemic.

May 27th, 2020: Senator Aument and Senator Yudichak introduced the language for their bill to change the Governor’s emergency declaration powers to promote greater collaboration and transparency.

May 21st, 2020: Senator Aument hosted a Facebook Live Town Hall to answer questions and gather feedback from community residents as part of his Restore & Reimagine PA initiative.

May 13th, 2020: Senator Aument voted in favor of a four-bill package that would give county governments more control over reopening their local economies and provide waivers from the Governor’s closure order for a variety of businesses — if they can operate in a manner that protects employees and customers. He also offered remarks on the Senate floor in favor of Senate Bill 327 and the Lancaster County plan to safely reopen.

I encourage constituents to review the full timeline and hope that you find this information helpful. You can view the timeline on my dedicated Reimagine PA webpage here.

Finally, if you would like to participate in my Restore & Reimagine PA initiative, there are three ways that you can submit your feedback to me:

1. Call 717-429-6652 and leave your full name, zip code, and a brief description of your idea.
2. Fill out my web contact formwith a brief description of your idea.
3. Attend one of my outreach events to tell me about your idea. You can view a schedule of upcoming outreach events here.

I also encourage residents to fill out my Restore & Reimagine PA Survey.

As always, I look forward to hearing your input!

COVID-19 Testing for Long-Term Care Facilities Not Required to be Completed until July 24

Nursing homes and other long-term care facilities have been one of the hardest-hit populations during the COVID-19 pandemic. After a Senate hearing in April exposed gross inadequacies in how the Wolf Administration handled these facilities during the public health crisis, the administration pledged to require testing of all long-term care staff and residents.

However, new testing procedures and guidelines from the Department of Health do not require such testing until July 24. With more than 70% of Pennsylvania’s COVID-19 deaths occurring in these locations, such a delay is unacceptable. This is why I firmly believe that the Lancaster County plan is so critical to an effective COVID-19 response in our communities, as it contains a detailed framework for testing in nursing homes coupled with Federal CARES Act funding to put those plans in motion.

I supported passage of a new law two weeks ago that dedicated more than $690 million of Pennsylvania’s share of money from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to support long-term care facilities. The administration must fix its irresponsible mishandling of our most vulnerable citizens immediately.  

The new Department of Health’s requirements will include a baseline test of residents and staff at all facilities and weekly testing at facilities that have a positive test. More information this available in a FAQ.

Future PUA Payments to be Paid by Debit Card

Benefit payments from the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program were temporarily switched to paper checks last week in order to identify and reduce numerous instances of fraud. Beginning soon, all payments will be issued via US Bank ReliaCards. The special debit cards will be mailed this week to claimants who do not already have one.

Claimants can still receive a paper check in they specifically request one. These payments include the additional $600 a week from the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) program. Details are available here about the timing of the change in payment method.

State Plan on Aging Survey

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