The Pennsylvania Senate on May 13 approved four bills aimed at giving county governments greater control over reopening their local economies and providing waivers from executive orders closing business.

Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, R-Jefferson, and Majority Leader Jake Corman, R-Centre, said that the bills would require businesses to operate in a manner that protects employees and customers in order to secure waivers.

House Bill 327, which was unanimously approved by the Senate, allows county governments to make plans for reopening shuttered businesses in compliance with safety guidelines promulgated by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the state Department of Health.