Following is a listing of executive and legislative action from the week of July 6. Both houses of the General Assembly were in recess at press time. The Pennsylvania Senate was subject to being recalled to session by Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, R-Jefferson. The state House of Representatives was subject to recall by Speaker Bryan Cutler, R-Lancaster.

Eviction Moratorium

Gov. Tom Wolf on July 9 signed a new executive order that protects homeowners and renters from foreclosure or eviction until Aug. 31, if they have not received assistance from a new program administered by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) or are not already receiving relief through one of several federal programs or judicial orders.

Lenders and property owners that receive funds through the PHFA program must agree to refrain from pursuing foreclosure or eviction actions as a condition of participation in the program.

"I am taking this action to help families know they will have a roof over their heads and a place to live while all of us fight the COVID-19 pandemic," Wolf said. "It takes one more burden off of people who are struggling and ensures that families can remain in their homes so they can protect their health and well-being."

The new executive order extends one suspending evictions and foreclosures, which was set to expire July 10. That action followed a Pennsylvania Supreme Court order that closed court eviction proceedings until May 11.

Emergency Declaration

A resolution to end the COVID-19 emergency declaration in Pennsylvania was presented to Wolf for his signature July 8.

The resolution was brought to Wolf after House Resolution 836 was blocked from implementation by a decision of the state Supreme Court. In that ruling, the high court said the resolution could not terminate the declaration without the governor's signature. Wolf was expected to veto the measure.

"Because of Gov. Wolf's unilateral actions during this emergency declaration millions of citizens have been forced out of work and 1.7 million school children were denied educational opportunities," said Speaker Bryan Cutler, R-Lancaster, and Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff, R-Centre, in a statement. "The impact of Gov. Wolf's short-sighted decisions will be felt for months, and potentially years to come."

Commerce Chair

State Rep. Sheryl Delozier, R-Cumberland, was officially appointed July 8 by Cutler to serve as majority chairman of the House Commerce Committee for the remainder of the 2019-20 legislative session.

"It is an honor to be Speaker Cutler's first appointment to a chairmanship and I'm looking forward to working with him, members of leadership and my committee members on issues dealing with business, finance and economic development," Delozier said.

The Commerce Committee focuses on banking and financial regulation, economic and technical development, regulation of offers of sale and credit and corporate governance.

This is Delozier's first committee chairmanship and her sixth term in office. She is also a member of the Consumer Affairs, Ethics and Rules committees.

Judicial Elections

Arguing that statewide appellate court judges be elected to represent discrete regions, Sen. Ryan Aument, R-Lancaster, said he would reintroduce a measure to create judicial districts for those elections.

Aument, in a statement released July 6, said his measure would carve up the state into seven Supreme Court districts, nine Commonwealth Court districts and 15 Superior Court districts, each corresponding to one seat on the three statewide courts.

Candidates for appellate seats would be required to reside in the district they would represent on the court.

"I am not arguing that Pennsylvania's statewide judges and justices should be swayed by or beholden to the court of public opinion when deciding cases, but rather that the process we use before those candidates are selected to serve in the courts ought to be reformed to ensure that all residents of Pennsylvania are represented fairly on the bench," Aument said.

A similar measure, House Bill 196, sponsored by state Rep. Russ Diamond, R-Lebanon, passed the House of Representatives in December and is now before the Senate for consideration.

In order for the measure to become law it must attract the support of Pennsylvania voters.

Face Masks

Wolf was joined July 7 by U.S. Sens. Bob Casey, D-Pennsylvania, and Pat Toomey, R-Pennsylvania, to encourage every Pennsylvanian to wear a mask to reduce the likelihood of spreading COVID-19.

"As we increasingly resume public activities in our commonwealth, we need to remain vigilant about taking precautions, especially wearing a mask that covers our noses and mouths while around other people," Wolf said. "This is an easy, yet important action that has been shown by research to reduce the spread of COVID-19."

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised people to wear a cloth mask to help slow the spread of COVID-19.

"Public health experts continue to recommend mask-wearing in public, and ongoing research continues to support that recommendation," Casey said. "When you wear a mask, you are sending a clear message to others in your community that you care about them and their well-being as much as your own. I know that if we each do our part, we will beat this virus and be able to start safely rebuilding together."

Toomey joined Casey to make the recommendation bipartisan.

"Since late March, I have been making the case for Pennsylvanians to wear masks when they venture out," Toomey said. "As the commonwealth continues to reopen, mask wearing has taken on increased significance, as studies continue to affirm that masks helps slow the spread of the coronavirus. Put simply, wearing a mask is an important step that we, as Pennsylvanians, can take to protect one another—as my mask protects you, and your mask protects me."

Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine signed an order mandating mask-wearing July 1.