Senator Martin Responds to Governor’s Veto of Bills to Protect Lives and Livelihoods

HARRISBURG – Senator Scott Martin (R-13) responded to Governor Wolf today for vetoing a package of bills that would have provided county governments more control over letting residents return to work and allowed more employers to resume operations under state and federal safety guidelines.

The bills, recently approved by the General Assembly and formally sent to the governor yesterday, would have brought back more than 200,000 jobs across Pennsylvania.

Senate Bill 327 would have given county governments the option to develop and implement individual plans to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and allow residents to safely return to work. Any plan must comply with U.S. Centers for Disease Control and state Department of Health safety guidelines to protect workers and customers.

House Bill 2388 would have required the Department of Community and Economic Development to issue waivers to the governor’s business closure order to vehicle dealers, lawn and garden centers, cosmetology salons, barber shops, messenger and agent services, animal grooming services and manufacturing operations.

House Bill 2412 would have required waivers be issued to legal services and real estate sales activities to resume.

The governor later reversed course and issued guidance to allow real estate activities to resume under nearly identical safety measures to the provisions of House Bill 2412.

“Today’s vetoes are extremely disappointing because the restrictions the governor has created have left more than 2 million Pennsylvanians on the unemployment rolls. There should be no doubt that more employers are capable of operating safely if we just give them the chance,” Martin said. “The veto of the real estate bill was especially disappointing because the Wolf Administration never communicated its concerns to lawmakers. The governor had a chance to work together with lawmakers to compromise in the best interests of all Pennsylvanians, and instead he chose to go it alone.”

“The governor has repeatedly said that his decisions are data-driven, but nothing has changed since the start of the pandemic about how the real estate industry plans to operate safely following CDC guidelines,” Martin said. “It is frustrating that more Pennsylvanians have to suffer based on the governor’s arbitrary and secretive decisions, but I am thankful that local leaders in government, industry and health care are working together to create local solutions that do not rely on the governor’s inconsistent orders.”

CONTACT:   Terry Trego (717) 787-6535

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