Pennsylvania State Capitol. Photo: Zack Frank/Shutterstock.com

Following is a listing of executive and legislative action for the week beginning June 1. The Pennsylvania Senate was in recess at press time, subject to recall by President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, R-Jefferson. The state House of Representatives was in recess and scheduled to return to session Monday.

Protest Movement

Gov. Tom Wolf on June 1 added Delaware, Erie and Montgomery counties to a disaster emergency declaration that originally encompassed Philadelphia and Allegheny and Dauphin counties, to provide all necessary assistance to these counties as they respond to the escalation of protests focusing on racism and police abuses spurred by the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

"People have every right to speak out and demonstrate, but it's unacceptable to take advantage of protests to incite violence, harm others and destroy property," Wolf said in a statement. "I amended this declaration to add more counties affected by the violence that erupted after peaceful protests in Erie, Delaware and Montgomery counties over the weekend."

The declaration authorizes the commonwealth and its agencies to assist municipalities in their response to deescalate violence and ensure public safety.

The declaration authorizes the adjutant general of the Pennsylvania National Guard and the Pennsylvania State Police commissioner to activate personnel and use resources as necessary to alleviate any danger to public health and safety that may spin off from protest activity.

On June 3, Wolf joined a Harrisburg protest called the "March Against Injustice and Gun Violence" In a tweet, Wolf said, "Black lives matter. Racism must end. I am here to listen."

Disaster Declaration

Wolf on June 3 renewed the 90-day disaster declaration originally signed March 6 following the announcement of the first two presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 in Pennsylvania. The declaration was set to expire June 4.

At the same time, Wolf announced that he would allow the amended stay-at-home order to expire at 11:59 p.m. June 4. The stay-at-home requirements were only in effect for counties remaining in the red phase, which were in southeastern Pennsylvania and Lackawanna County.

The emergency disaster declaration provides for increased support to state agencies involved in the continued response to the virus and recovery for the state during reopening.

"Pennsylvanians have done a tremendous job flattening the curve and case numbers continue to decrease," Wolf said. "Renewing the disaster declaration helps state agencies with resources and supports as we continue mitigation and recovery."

The Department of Health's Department Operations Center at the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency is still active, according to a statement from the Wolf administration.

"As phased reopening continues and all 67 counties are either in the yellow or green phase by Friday, we will no longer have a stay-at-home order in effect," Wolf said. "I remind Pennsylvanians that yellow means caution and even in the green phase everyone needs to take precautions to keep themselves and their communities healthy."

COVID-19 Testing

Wolf on June 3 said the state Department of Health collected more than 283,000 COVID-19 diagnostic test results in May, reaching its goals for testing Pennsylvanians.

Walmart and Quest Diagnostics drive-through testing locations across the state will provide testing for residents living in areas with fewer testing sites. All testing will be conducted outdoors, he said in a statement. A "soft launch" of the drive-through testing sites was set for June 5.

"We appreciate the hard work done by health systems, pharmacies, FQHCs, medical clinics and other entities that are providing testing for COVID-19 across Pennsylvania," Wolf said. "This goal is just one step in ramping up the state's testing capabilities and it demonstrates the tremendous progress made to ensure all Pennsylvanians who need to be tested are."

The Wolf administration statement said that with increased testing supplies through state and federal partners and Pennsylvania businesses, testing has become more available in Pennsylvania. This has helped ensure that the swabs and medium are available to conduct testing, and to also roll out universal testing at long-term care facilities.

The department's testing plan remains adaptable, the statement said. This includes ensuring everyone in a long-term care facility can be tested, providing all counties with at least one testing location, and other efforts based on the latest data and science surrounding COVID-19.

Unemployment Compensation

A bill that would provide for medical providers to certify that an employee cannot return to the workplace because of COVID-19 risk, thus preserving their right to unemployment compensation benefits, has been introduced in the state House of Representatives.

House Bill 2557, sponsored by state Rep. Josh Kail, R-Beaver, called the Vulnerable Workers' Protection Act, would provide more clarity for claimants and employers about what constitutes good cause to refuse work or compelling cause to quit while remaining eligible for unemployment compensation.

"While most of us can safely return to work, some people have legitimate safety concerns that should be taken into account. No one should have to choose between a paycheck and his or her health," Kail said in a statement issued June 3. "My bill would help to balance everyone's safety with the need of the majority to return to work."

Claimants would preserve eligibility for benefits if they provide documentation from a health care provider stating that they, or someone in their household, is at a substantially greater risk for serious medical complications from COVID-19. This would apply to claimants whose employer cannot offer work that does not require the employee to be close to others.

A claimant who suffered discrimination or retaliation as a result of informing the employer about the employer's failure to comply with a state or federal workplace safety standards intended to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 would remain eligible for unemployment compensation if they quit or refuse work because of the discrimination or retaliation.

The bill was referred to the House Committee on Labor and Industry.

Gig Workers

Attorney General Josh Shapiro on June 2 announced that Instacart and his office are teaming up on a significant public-private collaboration to expand financial, health and child care support to Pennsylvania workers who shop for the online grocery delivery platform.

"These protections will ensure Instacart workers have paid sick leave, access to telemedicine, and child care assistance," Shapiro said in a statement. "We are all relying on these frontline workers making deliveries and getting people the essentials needed during the COVID-19 emergency. I applaud Instacart for doing right by their workers, those they serve, and for their generous contribution to address food insecurity in vulnerable communities. We need others to do the same."

Instacart president Nilam Ganenthiran said it was important to support Instacart shoppers "who are providing an essential service in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis,"

The agreement with Instacart follows a similar arrangement with DoorDash, another food delivery service.

COVID Economy

Pennsylvania's true unemployment rate could be twice as much as the officially reported 15%, according to a report from the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center released June 2.

The liberal think tank said the state successfully shut down much of its economy to slow the spread of the coronavirus and did so more quickly and fully than most states. But the officially reported statistics have not fully counted those who have become jobless because of COVID.

The study said a "Depression-era plunge in employment" requires that federal and state lawmakers provide more resources to families for basic expenses while it remains unsafe to fully reignite our economy; and stimulate the economy aggressively as soon as it is safe, avoiding a vicious circle of declining consumer demand, business bankruptcies, high unemployment and further declines in demand.

The report concludes that massive investment in infrastructure and public job creation is needed in order to avoid a sluggish recovery once it is safe to return to work. The think tank pointed out that 14% or higher unemployment persisted from 1931 to 1940 during the last job loss of this magnitude.

"We do not want the current economic wreckage to last nine years," said the authors of the report, Stephen Herzenberg and Maisum Murtaza.

They also recommended investments in technology to reduce carbon emissions.