Legislative Updates: A Weekly Roundup of Federal, State, and Local Actions

Your Chamber advocacy team is working to share legislative updates and continue to advocate for your business in Washington, D.C., Harrisburg, and Philadelphia. We’ve created a round-up of recent activity including Key Takeaways for Your Business and a Detailed Legislative Update. This represents our best knowledge of the situation as of 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, July 16, 2020.

Chamber members are invited to join weekly legislative update calls hosted by our Advocacy team to hear the latest on COVID-19 relief and recovery efforts at the federal, state, and local level as well as other legislative matters concerning our community.

We also have a COVID-19 Information Hub with up-to-date resources to support your business.

• Republican Senators are expected to release their proposal for the next phase of economic stimulus and relief within the next few days.

• The proposal is expected to prioritize financial support to help schools reopen, boost unemployment benefits, stimulus payments, funding for contact tracing and testing, and a temporary plan for business liability protections.

• The White House has been in talks with leaders from both parties and have interests that center around a payroll tax cut and making funding to schools conditional based on their reopening plans.

• A vote is expected later this week for a four-bill appropriations minibus package with a second package the following week. The first package will provide funding for State & Foreign Operations, Agricultural, Rural Development & Food and Drug Administration, Interior & Environment, and Military Construction & Veterans Affairs.

• The Senate Appropriations Committee has yet to mark up appropriations measures and seems unlikely to do so before their fiscal year begins.

• The House is scheduled to recess on August 3 and the Senate is scheduled to recess the following week.

• The Right to Know (RTK) bill requiring state agencies to begin responding to RTK requests even if an agency has been forced to close its physical location was unanimously approved by both the state House and Senate.

• The RTK bill will likely be vetoed by Governor Wolf as he has indicated that it makes no allowances for the health and safety of Commonwealth employees who may need to access physical offices to process RTK requests among other concerns.

• The U.S. Census Bureau said it is focusing its efforts on areas with low-response rates on 2020 Census forms. Pennsylvania’s response rate is 65 percent, about three percent above the national average of 62 percent.

• The Chamber hosted a virtual gathering with Gov. Wolf’s Chief of Staff Mike Brunelle this week with topics ranging from the state’s efforts to address the current COVID-19 pandemic to upcoming budget negotiations. View the full legislative update for a recap of the event.

• The Chamber will host a virtual event with PA Representative Donna Oberlander on July 29.

• Confirmed COVID-19 cases in Philadelphia are nearing 29,000 with over 1,600 deaths.

• City Council Committee on Fiscal Stability and Intergovernmental Cooperation will convene July 28 to address issues including Resolution 200406 authorizing quarterly meetings to discuss the City’s fiscal position and overarching social impact goals.

• The Joint Committees on People with Disabilities and Special Needs & Public Health and Human Services will also meet on July 28 to hold joint hearings regarding the racial and albeist disparities of COVID-19 infections. 

• The Chamber will host virtual events with leaders from the Commerce Department (July 28) and Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley (August 11) in the coming weeks.

Economic Relief Package

As Congress prepares to recess in just a few weeks’ time, Republican Senators are expected to release their proposal for the next phase of economic stimulus and relief within the next few days. In the face of House Democrats’ $3 trillion proposal approved in Mid-May, Senate Republicans intend to keep their proposal to $1 trillion.

While the full proposal has yet to be released as of this writing, Republican leadership in the Senate is expected to prioritize financial support to help schools reopen, a boost in unemployment benefits, another round of stimulus payments to Americans under a certain income level, funding for contact tracing and COVID-19 testing, and a temporary plan for business liability protections.

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows are engaged in negotiations and are representing the Administration’s interests which largely center around a payroll tax cut and making funding to schools conditional based on their reopening plans. The two have met separately with leadership from both parties over the last several days.

Finding a bipartisan agreement is expected to be difficult. The combination of the expiration of the unemployment payments on July 31, the House’s scheduled recess on August 3, and the Senate’s scheduled recess the following week could potentially inspire the parties to find an agreement despite current predictions that the negotiations will stretch into August.

FY21 Appropriations

The House is continuing to move forward with the appropriations process for fiscal year 2021, beginning October 1. A vote is expected later this week for a four-bill appropriations minibus package that will provide funding for State & Foreign Operations, Agricultural, Rural Development & Food and Drug Administration, Interior & Environment, and Military Construction & Veterans Affairs.

All four bills will provide for increases above FY20 enacted levels of funding and focus largely on emergency funding, defense and non-defense spending, and provisions for COVID-19 preparedness, response, and relief.

The House is expected to consider a second minibus package next week that will provide funding for Commerce, Justice & Science, Defense, Energy & Water Development, Financial Service & General Government, Homeland Security, Labor, Health and Human Services & Education, and Transportation, Housing & Urban Development.

As the Senate Appropriations Committee has yet to mark up appropriations measures and seems unlikely to do so before their fiscal year begins, continuing resolutions covering some if not all of the bills are to be expected.

Questions? Contact Anselm Sauter (asauter@chamberphl.com) for more information about federal legislative affairs.

Right to Know (RTK) Bill Likely to be Vetoed

Legislation (HB 2464) – requiring state agencies to begin responding to RTK requests by following procedures established by the Office of Open Records, even if an agency has been forced to close its physical location – was unanimously approved by both the state House and Senate, but is likely to be vetoed by Governor Wolf.

The Governor has indicated on several occasions during the pandemic that as a result of most government employees being forced to work from home, RTK request response had been halted.

House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff (R-Centre) issued a statement stating that “Over the years, the General Assembly has successfully updated our transparency laws to make them some of the best in the country and, right now, Pennsylvanians need transparency to be restored to their government. This administration needs to be held accountable to the people of Pennsylvania.”

The Governor said he will veto HB 2463 saying it makes no allowances for the health and safety of Commonwealth employees who may need to access physical offices to process RTK requests and because it could expose information related to “critical infrastructure and other public safety sectors” which they said could include such things as protected systems, building plans, portions of emergency operation plans which are not publicly available, Pennsylvania State Police information, personally identifiable health information, information about private citizens, and trade secrets of private entities.

U.S. Census Bureau Steps Up Efforts in Low-Response Areas

The U.S. Census Bureau said it is focusing its efforts on areas with low-response rates on 2020 Census forms.

Since the official launch of the 2020 U.S. Census on April 1, the emphasis has been on getting residents of Pennsylvania households to fill out census questionnaires by mail, online, or by phone.

A nationwide canvass is starting August 11 to visit households that have yet to respond. Pennsylvania’s response rate is 65 percent, about three percent above the national average of 62 percent.

The Census is key to determining how much federal aid Pennsylvania receives. Currently, the state receives more than $26 billion annually for a number of government programs, including education and Medicaid. Census figures also determine the number of congressional seats.

Chamber Hosts Conversation with Governor’s Chief of Staff

On Tuesday, the Chamber hosted a virtual gathering with Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf’s Chief of Staff Mike Brunelle. Mike discussed a number of topics ranging from the state’s efforts to address the current COVID-19 pandemic to upcoming budget negotiations. Brunelle said Pennsylvania is facing a $6 billion budget shortfall due to the pandemic and subsequent business closures. The Administration is working with the federal congressional delegation to lobby Washington D.C. to pass another stimulus package – this time for states and localities. He also said now is not the time for the state to be raising taxes on businesses and individuals despite the enormous funding shortfall.

In addition, Brunelle said that Pennsylvania has secured substantial PPE in the event of a surge of COVID-19 cases and is working to implement a statewide contract tracing program to identify those individuals testing positive.

On July 29 at 10:30 a.m., the Chamber will host a virtual conversation with state House Majority Whip Donna Oberlander about ongoing budget discussions in Harrisburg and what will be done with the remaining federal CARES Act dollars, in addition to answering member questions. The event is being co-hosted with the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce. Learn more and register »

Questions? Contact Liz Ferry (lferry@chamberphl.com) for more information about state legislative affairs.

COVID-19 Case Data

On Wednesday, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health reported the total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Philadelphia has reached 28,874. This brings the number of residents who have succumbed to the virus in Philadelphia to 1,673. Of the total deaths, 855 (51%) were long-term care facility residents.

City Council Stated Meetings

City Council’s latest Stated Meeting took place on Thursday, June 25, 2020. The next stated meeting of Council will take place on Thursday, September 10, 2020. View confirmed meeting dates and agendas »

Upcoming City Council Hearings

• Committee on Fiscal Stability and Intergovernmental Cooperation

Tuesday, July 28, 2020, at 2:00 p.m., in a remote manner using Microsoft Teams. This remote hearing may be viewed on Xfinity Channel 64, Fios Channel 40 or phlcouncil.com/watchcitycouncil, to hear testimony on the following items:

Resolution 200406 – Resolution authorizing the Committee on Fiscal Stability and Intergovernmental Cooperation to hold quarterly hearings that include monthly reporting requirements, to discuss the fiscal position and overarching social impact goals of the City, including and as related to the Five Year Plan and the reporting requirements set forth in the Quarterly City Manager’s Report (QCMR) and as submitted to the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority (PICA).

• Joint Committees on People with Disabilities and Special Needs & Public Health and Human Services

Tuesday, July 28, 2020, at 10:00 a.m., in a remote manner using Microsoft Teams. This remote hearing may be viewed on Xfinity Channel 64, Fios Channel 40 or phlcouncil.com/watchcitycouncil, to hear testimony on the following items:

Resolution 200310 – Resolution authorizing the Committees on People with Disabilities & Special Needs and on Public Health & Human Services to hold joint hearings regarding the racial and ableist disparities of COVID-19 infections and impacts in Philadelphia.

Upcoming City Hall Connectors Events

The City Hall Connectors series seeks to improve Philadelphia’s business atmosphere and promote inclusive growth by offering exclusive engagement opportunities for Chamber members with the City’s elected and administrative officials. Attendees have a chance to hear from, interact with, and build relationships with these important decision-makers, as well as offer input on how Philadelphia can further enhance its economic climate.

• July 28 – City Hall Connectors: Commerce Department »

Sylvie Gallier Howard, Acting Commerce Director, and Iola Harper, Deputy Commerce Director, Entrepreneurship and Economic Opportunity will discuss the City’s ongoing efforts to assist businesses in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and recent civil unrest.

• August 11 – City Hall Connectors: Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley »

Thomas Farley, M.D., M.P.H., Commissioner of Health for Philadelphia will discuss the City’s ongoing efforts to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as his insights as to how Philadelphia’s business community can help restore consumer confidence and continue to move towards meaningful recovery. 

The constantly changing nature of this public health crisis requires continued engagement with public policy developments. We invite you to reach out to our advocacy team directly with your questions: 

• Anselm Sauter, Federal Affairs – asauter@chamberphl.com 
• Liz Ferry, State Affairs – lferry@chamberphl.com 
• William Carter, Local Affairs – wcarter@chamberphl.com 

Chamber members are invited to join weekly legislative update calls hosted by our Advocacy team to hear the latest on COVID-19 relief and recovery efforts at the federal, state, and local level as well as other legislative matters concerning our community.

We also have a COVID-19 Information Hub with up-to-date resources to support your business.