The Pennsylvania State Capitol Building, in downtown Harrisburg.

Following is a listing of executive and legislative action for the week of Feb. 18. The state House of Representatives was in session at press time; the Pennsylvania Senate was in recess and scheduled to return to session March 18.

Economic Development

Gov. Tom Wolf on Feb. 19 signed an executive order establishing a “command center” to coordinate government action to address hiring needs of private-sector employers.

The Keystone Economic Development and Workforce Command Center has been tasked under Executive Order 2019-02 with “convening a public-private partnership” to recommend action to reduce impediments to employment and better align government resources and private-sector needs “to position Pennsylvania as the keystone for a skilled workforce and competitive business climate.”

Three private-sector entities—the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO and the Team Pennsylvania Foundation, a nonprofit agency connecting investors and businesses—and three members of the Wolf cabinet—the secretaries of the Department of Community and Economic Development, the Department of Labor and Industry and the Department of State—would designate members of the executive committee governing the center. The executive order also names six other members of the center, including the state auditor general or their designee.

“Our commonwealth is on the comeback and more people are working than ever before,” Wolf said in a statement. “Businesses are hiring and cannot find the trained workers to fill open jobs. And too many people are stuck in low-wage jobs without the training to advance.

“Our economy is transitioning and it's a race to keep up. We either strengthen workforce development or we risk falling behind. We must be bold and ambitious and break from the status quo.”

The group, the statement said, is expected to recommend ways to better coordinate workforce and economic development programs across state agencies and identify barriers that may prevent someone from working or prevent businesses from hiring skilled workers. Examples of those barriers were lack of child care or transportation, as well as outdated professional licensure, certification and continuing education requirements.

Wolf under the executive order is set to name a chair to lead the center.

Solar Energy

A bipartisan group of state representatives introduced Feb. 19 legislation to allow for community solar projects and open the renewable energy market to a broader range of Pennsylvania residents.

House Bill 531, whose primary sponsor is Rep. Aaron Kaufer, R-Luzerne, also has the support of Reps. Donna Bullock, D-Philadelphia; David Millard, R-Columbia; and Peter Schweyer, D-Lehigh.

Under the bill, homeowners, renters and other property owners would be able to join other participants in subscribing to a portion of an offsite solar project and receive credit on their electricity bill for the power that is produced, just as if the panels were on their roofs.

“All too often Pennsylvania property owners interested in relying on solar power to meet their energy needs learn their homes are not properly situated to have solar panels on their roofs. I am one of those homeowners,” Kaufer said in a statement. “The bill, which has more than three dozen co-sponsors, we are introducing today would give such homeowners, and others, the option to join their neighbors in creating community solar projects.”

Voting Machines

As the Wolf administration tries to move the state toward commissioning all-new voting machines in advance of the 2020 elections, Auditor General Eugene DePasquale on Feb. 20 expressed concern over Philadelphia city election commissioners' selection of a vendor to supply new technologies.

DePasquale previously said that it appeared Philadelphia's request for proposals was written to favor one vendor, ES&S, and called for a full accounting of the process.

“I still have serious concerns about the process that led to today's commission vote and I urge City Council to review it carefully. In addition to my ongoing audit of the SURE system within the Department of State, my team will be carefully monitoring the deployment and use of new machines in Philadelphia and across Pennsylvania.”

DePasquale said he would have a statement by the end of the week reviewing whether election officials in any of the state's 67 counties accepted gifts from prospective vendors.

According to reporting in Philadelphia Magazine, the commissioners looked for several factors in the RFP, with one key factor being the ability to display a large number of candidates on a single screen. The city, particularly in judicial and City Council elections, often has a large field of competitors.