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, September 3, 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.

• The Senate returns next week from recess to release and vote on a parred down version of the Republican’s original relief package proposal that was introduced more than a month ago.

• The measure is likely to extend unemployment benefits, allocate additional funding for the Paycheck Protection Program, and provide emergency appropriations for education, testing and tracing, and vaccine development.

• Democratic leaders have continued to call for agreement on a spending level above $2 trillion before they restart negotiations on an additional relief package.

• A new relief and assistance package could potentially be added to a continuing resolution to keep the government operating through at least the November election.

• Chamber members should contact their elected representatives in Washington, D.C. to urge these leaders to return to the negotiating table.

• The Pennsylvania Senate Communications and Technology Committee will hold a hearing next week on the Commonwealth’s COVID-19 contact tracing app that will be launched later this month.

• The Chamber is working with numerous public and private partners on expanding contact tracing and testing and is developing a focused, short-term resource attraction campaign to increase testing capacity for southeastern PA.

• August’s state General Fund revenue collections exceeded expectations for the month — primarily through the continued collection of last fiscal year’s revenues — adding an additional $209 million above estimates.

• The state House of Representatives has considered legislation to make several changes to Pennsylvania’s election law including moving up the absentee/mail-in ballot deadline, requiring election results on Election Day, increased in-person voting safety, among many other provisions.

• The PA Supreme Court said it would consider a lawsuit by the state Democratic Party to order changes to state election law that would allow mailed-in ballots to be counted if they are returned without an envelope, to allow voters to fix problems

• The Chamber will host a virtual event with Budget Secretary Jen Swails on Sept. 9. Read the full update to learn more and register.

• The Chamber sent members of City Council a letter expressing continued concerns about mandating emergency paid sick leave through Bill 200303, which is up for final passage when City Council returns from recess on Thursday, September 10. 

• Confirmed COVID-19 cases in Philadelphia have exceeded 34,000 with over 1,700 deaths.

• Mayor Kenney and Philadelphia School District Superintendent Dr. Hite coauthored a personal message to families starting the school year entirely online to spread the word about the PHLConnectED program.

• There is less than a month left to complete the 2020 U.S. Census with only 53.5% of Philadelphia households reporting to date.

• The city has issued guidance on apportionment and allocation to explain these tax concepts in non-technical terms, using relevant examples.

• The Chamber will host a virtual event with the Deputy Mayor of the Department of Planning & Development Anne Fadullon on September 14. Read the full weekly update to learn more and register.

Phase 4 Relief Package Uncertainty Continues

The United States Senate is expected to return next week from August recess to release and vote on a parred down version of the Republican’s original relief package proposal that was introduced more than a month ago. The measure is likely to extend unemployment benefits, allocate additional funding for the Paycheck Protection Program, and provide emergency appropriations for education, testing and tracing, and vaccine development.  The move marks a Republican effort to illustrate support from nearly all GOP Senators on relief measures that are priorities to both parties.   In contrast, the targeted relief package is expected to win minimal or no support from Democrats that believe it does not go far enough.

Instead, Democratic leaders have continued to call for agreement on a spending level above $2 trillion before they restart negotiations on an additional relief package. There have been a number of brief interactions recently between Democratic leaders and White House negotiators to restart talks but no progress appears to have been made.

The equally important need to continue funding traditional government programs beyond the close of the federal fiscal year at the end of this month should serve as additional motivation for both sides to restart talks.  It is conceivable that an emergency relief and assistance package will be added to a continuing resolution to keep the government operating through at least the November election, but it may unfortunately require a government shutdown to pressure both sides to achieve such an outcome. 

The Chamber continues to urge congressional members to pass an additional bipartisan COVID-19 economic relief and assistance package that includes supplemental funding for testing and contact tracing, small and mid-sized business relief, direct aid to state and local government, and reskilling and rehiring disadvantaged populations.

Contact Your Elected Representatives

All Chamber members should contact their elected representatives in Washington, D.C. urging them to push congressional leaders to advance a relief and assistance package that will accelerate the recovery of our regional economy and promote equity among disadvantaged businesses and workers.

Contact your House Representative »

Contact your Senators »  

Please share your outreach efforts with us for reference in our future contact with Congressional offices. Thank you in advance for your efforts on behalf of our regional economic recovery.

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

PA Senate Committee to Discuss Contact Tracing App

On September 8, the Pennsylvania Senate Communications and Technology Committee will hold a hearing on the Commonwealth’s COVID-19 contact tracing app that will be launched later this month. As part of its Philadelphia Regional Recharge and Recovery initiative, the Chamber is working with numerous public and private partners, including the Wolf Administration, on expanding contact tracing and testing. In addition, the Chamber’s Select Greater Philadelphia Council is working with the Commonwealth to develop and implement a focused, short-term resource attraction campaign to secure additional COVID-19 testing capacity and supplies to meet the needs of citizens in southeastern Pennsylvania.

The hearing will include officials from the state Department of Health, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.

Pennsylvania General Fund Revenue Collections Above Expectations

August’s state General Fund revenue collections exceeded expectations for the month adding an additional $209 million above estimates. The overall collections for the month were $2.5 billion. According to state officials, the increase is due to the effects of extending tax deadlines due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Corporate Net Income Tax (CNIT) payments were delayed until August. To date, corporation tax collections are $543.8 million, which is $28.2 million, or 5.5 percent above estimate, though the amount has been helped by revenues that should have otherwise been collected during Fiscal Year 2019-20.

PA General Assembly Considers Election Reform Measures

This week, the state House of Representatives considered legislation to make several changes to Pennsylvania’s election law in response to concerns about the upcoming November General Election.

HB 2626 seeks to move the deadline to apply for absentee and mail-in ballots back from seven days prior to an election to 15 days prior to an election, get election results on Election Day or as soon as possible, provide more safety measures for in-person voting, and increase oversight of voting, among many other provisions. It passed along a party-line vote 108-94 with only Republican Todd Stephens (Montgomery) voting against the measure. Democrats said the bill makes voting less accessible, not more accessible.

Governor Wolf and state Senate Republican leaders (SB 10) have introduced their own election law proposals.

On Monday, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court said it would consider a lawsuit by the state Democratic Party to order changes to state election law that would allow mailed-in ballots to be counted if they are returned without an envelope, to allow voters to fix problems with their mail-in ballot if it is deemed uncountable, and to prevent poll watchers from being registered voters from another Pennsylvania county.

Upcoming State Advocacy Virtual Programs

• September 9 at 10:30 a.m. – State Advocacy Update with Budget Secretary Jen Swails »

Pennsylvania Budget Secretary Jen Swails will discuss the ongoing budget negotiations between the Administration and House and Senate leadership as members work to complete the remaining 7-month budget while addressing a $6 billion shortfall in revenue. She will also provide insight into how the remaining CARES Act funding will be spent as well as the next round of stimulus dollars from Washington, D.C. 

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 34,144. This brings the number of residents who have succumbed to the virus in Philadelphia to 1,758. Of the total deaths, 876 (50%) were long-term care facility residents.

Back to School Message from Mayor Kenney and Dr. Hite

To mark the first day of school in the School District of Philadelphia, Mayor Kenney and Superintendent Dr. William Hite penned an Open Letter to all Philadelphians. The personal message to families about starting the year entirely online also aims to spread the word about PHLConnectED, the program created to bring free internet to 35,000 families that currently lack such service.

Less than a Month Left to Complete the 2020 Census

The U.S. Census Bureau has announced that the self-response phase and field data collection will end on September 30 to comply with the statutory deadline of December 31, 2020. If Philadelphia residents have not yet completed the census, they can expect a visit from a census taker, who will help them to fill out the census. Census takers will wear masks and follow state and local health guidelines at all times.

To date, 53.5 percent of Philadelphia’s households have completed the 2020 Census. We encourage all residents — if they have not done so already — to fill out the census online at 2020census.gov, over the phone, or using the paper form.

Philly Counts, the City’s initiative to support the 2020 Census, is focusing its efforts on encouraging census participation in Philadelphia’s historically undercounted neighborhoods through phone banking and socially distanced activities. Since Philly Counts has started phone banking, the team has worked with community partners to make over 233,000 calls and have engaged over 30,000 households. Philly Counts’ volunteers have assisted 13,799 households in making a plan to participate in the 2020 Census.

The City Issues Guidance on Apportionment and Allocation

There are a great many technical terms in state and local taxation. Those who do not practice in the field might find the terminology somewhat difficult to grasp and, in some cases, incomprehensible. One of the most critical concepts in state and local income tax is apportionment and allocation. This article attempts to explain apportionment and allocation to readers in non-technical terms, using relevant examples.  

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 next Thursday, September 10, 2020. View confirmed meeting dates and agendas »

Upcoming City Hall Connectors Virtual Programs

• September 14 – Anne Fadullon of the Dept. of Planning & Development »

Anne Fadullon, Deputy Mayor of the Department of Planning & Development, will discuss the City’s ongoing efforts to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic as it relates to development in Philadelphia. Learn how Philadelphia’s business community, including developers, 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.