Pa. Senate Republicans to vote on subpoenas to Gov. Wolfs administration over closing businesses – PennLive

Senate Republicans plan to vote Thursday on issuing subpoenas to Gov. Tom Wolfs administration to learn more about business closures prompted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Senate Republicans, who hold the majority in the chamber, said they have been frustrated what they view as a lack of transparency from the Democratic governor. GOP lawmakers have been pressing for answers from the Wolf administration in deciding which businesses had to be shut down.

Wolf ordered the closure of businesses that werent deemed life sustaining" to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Republican lawmakers and business trade groups have demanded to know why some businesses had to close their doors and some received waivers from the Wolf administration to remain open.

The Senate Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee plans to meet at 1 p.m. Thursday to consider the subpoenas.

State Sens. Mike Regan, a York County Republican, and Tom Killion, wrote letters to the governor and the state Department of Community and Economic Development to get more information about the closures. They said they got no response to the letters, which were sent April 24.

Lawmakers held a hearing with Wolf administration officials last week but found their answers lacking.

We held a hearing during which DCED and the administration had the opportunity to provide clarity about their methodology behind granting waivers to some employers and not others, Regan said in a statement. We then sent a letter requesting the same information and did not receive it. Tomorrow we will be taking definitive action.

Tens of thousands of businesses sought waivers to keep their doors open. Some argued they performed critical services and could open safely with measures to protect workers and consumers. Trade groups assailed the waiver process as being too arbitrary.

For example, a Franklin County builder was denied a waiver to complete work on a home to replace one a family lost in a fire. Some garden centers have complained they couldnt get waivers, while other garden centers were allowed to reopen.

State officials have said they aim for consistency on waiver decisions but rely on information provided by businesses on their applications.

The Wolf administration has said its aimed to be as transparent as possible. Casey Smith, a DCED spokeswoman, said earlier this week that the administration is aiming to address the concerns of businesses and lawmakers.

Throughout the duration of the waiver process, DCED has been dedicated to responding to businesses in short order, as addressing the needs of Pennsylvanias business community while protecting public health and safety has been a priority," Smith said in a statement. "The administration is reviewing the letter and will determine how best to respond in light of the extensive resources that have been devoted to addressing this disaster.

To date, the Wolf administration has not disclosed detailed information about the waiver program.

PennLive and other media organizations have submitted Right-to-Know requests for information about the program. The media groups have been told the offices are closed and the requests "will be received and processed upon our offices reopening.

Last week, Wolf said the administration is still reviewing the 40,000-plus waiver requests it received before the waiver period ended on April 3.

Republican lawmakers have been battling the Wolf administration over the scope of the shutdown of the states businesses. GOP lawmakers in the House and Senate have said the governor has erred in shutting down whole sectors of the economy, such as the construction industry, which has been brought to a virtual standstill. Republican lawmakers argued more businesses can get back to work without threatening public health.

The governor has vetoed bills passed by the Republican-controlled General Assembly that would have broadly reopened businesses. Wolf and Democratic lawmakers have argued a wide reopening of businesses could undo the states progress in slowing the spread of the virus and cost lives.

Wolf has also argued that new spikes in COVID-19 cases from lifting restrictions too broadly could do more economic damage to the state in the long term.

Still, Wolf has recently made some concessions on business.

Wolf said construction activity can resume, with some restrictions, beginning Friday. Some of the state rules will require limits on the number of workers on certain job sites. The governor also recently allowed online auto sales to begin again.

Like other states, Pennsylvanias economy is reeling due to the closure of businesses. More than 1.6 million Pennsylvanians have filed for unemployment.

Pennsylvania remains under a statewide stay-at-home order to slow the spread of the virus. More than 44,000 people have contracted the virus and nearly 2,200 have died.

The governor said he plans to begin lifting restrictions on some regions in early May. On Friday, the Wolf administration is slated to announce the first counties to be lifted from the stay-at-home order.

Those counties, which Wolf has said will likely be in northcentral and northwestern Pennsylvania, will see the stay-at-home order lifted on May 8.

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Pa. Senate Republicans to vote on subpoenas to Gov. Wolfs administration over closing businesses - PennLive