Ex-House speaker, a gas industry ally, joins gas utility
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A day after leaving his post as speaker of Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives, Mike Turzai has become general counsel for the Pittsburgh-based natural gas division of Essential Utilities Inc. The company made the announcement Tuesday. Turzai, a suburban Pittsburgh Republican, was an ally of Pennsylvania’s natural gas industry while in office. The Associated Press reported in January that Turzai had received an offer from the company before Turzai announced that he wasn’t running for re-election. In 2017, Turzai announced a run for governor, but dropped out. Turzai was speaker for five and-a-half years, and served as majority leader for four years before that.

Court ordered to look at state police social media policy
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The Pennsylvania Supreme Court says a lower court should have privately reviewed a state police policy that guides troopers’ monitoring of social media before deciding it was OK to block public disclosure of the policy. Tuesday’s ruling came after Commonwealth Court rejected a request from the American Civil Liberties Union that state police disclose details of its policy for monitoring social media to investigate crimes and do employee background checks. The justices said the lower court should have privately examined the redacted portions of the social media monitoring policy before blocking public access. The case now goes back to Commonwealth Court.

Penn State ex-president argues conviction properly tossed
By MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A federal appeals court is considering whether a judge ruled properly last year when she overturned the child endangerment conviction of former Penn State president Graham Spanier. The appeals court on Tuesday focused on whether Spanier was wrongly convicted under a 2007 for how he handled a report from underlings about Jerry Sandusky showering naked and alone with a boy in 2001. Prosecutors want to overturn the lower court’s ruling, which gave them three months to retry Spanier. The three-judge panel of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals didn’t indicate when it might rule.

Andrea Sears

HARRISBURG, Pa. — The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender workers are protected from employment discrimination by federal law. Monday’s 6-3 ruling found that firing an employee for being gay or transgender violates Title 7 of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

According to Omar Gonzalez-Pagan, senior attorney with Lambda Legal, the decision, written by conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch, illustrates how the plain meaning of the law which bans discrimination based on sex clearly includes discrimination based on sexual orientation or transgender status.

“It is really one that is faithful to the text, a roadmap that we laid out for the courts over the years, and we’re ecstatic at this decision,” Gonzalez-Pagan said.

The dissenting justices, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Brett Kavanaugh, held that Title 7 only applies to discrimination based on gender, not sexual orientation or gender identity.

Gonzalez-Pagan said the ruling will have implications for how other laws are interpreted. That includes last Friday’s announcement by the Department of Health and Human Services that it will reverse a rule prohibiting discrimination against transgender people in health care.

“We have the backup of the Supreme Court for our argument that that rule is not rooted in the law,” he said. “And now it will be that much easier for us to get that rule overturned.”

Lambda Legal and the American Civil Liberties Union have announced they will be challenging the new HHS rule in court as soon as it is published, which is scheduled for this Friday.

Gonzalez-Pagan noted two of the plaintiffs in the lawsuits covered by the Supreme Court ruling – Donald Zarda, a gay man fired from a skydiving school, and Aimee Stephens, a transgender woman fired from a funeral home – died before Monday’s ruling was handed down.

“Justice delayed is justice denied,” he said. “But at least today their sacrifice will help protect many, many, many, many people from discrimination moving forward.”

The Trump administration had sided with the employers in the court cases.

Andrea Sears

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Voting-rights advocates say Pennsylvania has to start making changes now to make the voting process go more smoothly for the general election in November.

Fewer polling places, long lines and delayed or missing absentee ballots were just a few of the problems that plagued th primary election held in the middle of an ongoing public health crisis. Consolidation of polling places caused bottlenecks that led to confusion, long lines and hours of waiting to cast ballots, especially in some low-income and minority areas.

According to John Powers with the voting rights project at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, state lawmakers need to take steps to give counties more flexibility to manage in-person voting.

“Authorize county boards of election to create vote centers,” Powers said. “Allow for curbside drop-off of ballots and give them the resources they need to make sure they don’t need to consolidate.”

Other recommendations include allowing absentee ballots mailed by election day to be counted up to seven days later and moving up the deadline for processing mail-in votes.

Powers said the Legislature also should take steps to give everyone access to the mail-in voting process.

“Sending absentee-ballot applications to all voters so that voters don’t have to go through the process of having to find absentee-ballot applications online or requesting absentee-ballot applications from election officials,” he said.

He added that county election boards also need additional funding to fully staff polling stations and provide personal protective equipment for workers and voters.

Powers stressed that November really isn’t that far away, and that the primary showed both the Legislature and county election officials need to take corrective actions immediately.

“We saw that waiting too long can result in officials being unprepared to deal with the circumstances that arose,” he said. “And we have to, unfortunately, expect the unexpected in these unique times.”

He encourages anyone who experienced problems with the primary or in preparing for the election in November to call the nonpartisan election protection hotline at 1-866-OURVOTE.

Harrisburg, PA – In the May 2020 report, Pennsylvania Department of Health nursing home surveyors conducted 292 inspections of nursing homes, including 210 complaint investigations during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, nine sanctions were finalized against nursing care facilities, which included the issuance of one provisional one license, and civil penalties totaling $83,000.

“We know that congregate care settings, like nursing homes, have been challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Dr. Levine said. “That is why we remain committed to protecting the health and well-being of our most vulnerable Pennsylvanians by continuing to hold nursing home operators accountable, as necessary, to ensure they are providing safe care. If you see something at a nursing home that doesn’t seem right, we encourage you to speak up.”

Although annual inspections are not occurring at this time, extensions are in place according to guidance issued from the Center of Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS). The majority of other inspections are still occurring but may be conducted virtually rather than onsite to minimize the spread of COVID-19.

Individuals with complaints about a nursing home can file that complaint with the department in several ways. Complaints can be made anonymously by calling 1-800-254-5164, filling out the online complaint form, emailing c-ncomplai@pa.gov or sending the complaint in the mail to the department.

The number of long-term care facility resident cases, employee cases and deaths continues to decrease, as reflected in the long-term care facility graphs on the department’s LTCF data page.

The department recently announced an order directing testing at skilled nursing facilities. Facilities in need of assistance are encouraged to contact the department, which can provide assistance from a number of available resources on infection control, personal protective equipment, etc.

The inspections, called surveys, include information on nursing home patient-care and building inspections. If a facility is cited for not following regulations during the survey, it must submit a plan of correction that includes what will be done to fix the issue and a completion date. The department will conduct a surprise follow-up inspection to ensure the issue is resolved. Surveys are posted to the website 41 days after the survey is completed.

The department also may issue a sanction. Possible sanctions include a civil penalty, a ban on admissions, a license being revoked, or a facility being put on a provisional license, which requires, among other things, being subject to additional inspections. A provisional license can be renewed no more than three times. The department can return the facility to a regular license if it is satisfied that all issues have been corrected and it is warranted.

The department maintains a searchable database, which allows the public to view patient care surveys, building safety surveys, size of the nursing home, type of ownership and additional information about each of the nursing homes in the state. The department oversees nearly 700 nursing homes and more than 88,000 beds within nursing homes in Pennsylvania, in addition to other facilities, including hospitals, ambulatory surgical facilities, home care agencies and others.

The Wolf Administration has taken a three-pillar approach to protecting the vulnerable residents living in nursing homes and other long-term living settings from COVID-19:

• Ensuring resident safety through testing, education and resources;
• Preventing and mitigating outbreaks; and
• Working in partnership with state agencies, local health departments and long-term care facility operators.

The Department of Health has been pushing personal protective equipment to all of long-term care facilities in Pennsylvania. Additionally, the department continues to work with ECRI as they provide technical assistance and our Healthcare Acquired Infection (HAI) team to further assist and remain connected with the nursing homes in order to best assist their needs.

The Wolf Administration stresses the role Pennsylvanians play in helping to reduce the spread of COVID-19:

• Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
• Cover any coughs or sneezes with your elbow, not your hands.
• Clean surfaces frequently.
• Stay home to avoid spreading COVID-19, especially if you are unwell.
• If you must go out for a life-sustaining reason, please wear a mask.

Updated Coronavirus Links: Press Releases, State Lab Photos, Graphics

• Daily COVID-19 Report
• Press releases regarding coronavirus
• Latest information on the coronavirus
• Photos of the state’s lab in Exton (for download and use)
• Coronavirus and preparedness graphics (located at the bottom of the page)
• Community preparedness and procedures materials
• Map with the number of COVID-19 cases

All Pennsylvania residents are encouraged to sign up for AlertPA, a text notification system for health, weather, and other important alerts like COVID-19 updates from commonwealth agencies. Residents can sign up online at www.ready.pa.gov/BeInformed/Signup-For-Alerts.

Businesses ask patrons to waive right to sue if they get ill
By TOM KRISHER and MARK SHERMAN Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Many businesses are requiring customers and workers to sign forms saying they won’t sue if they catch COVID-19. Businesses are afraid they could face lawsuits even if they follow social distancing and other government guidelines as they reopen across the U.S. after coronavirus shutdowns. Lawyers say it depends on state law whether the waivers can be enforced. And worker advocates say the waiver forms force employees to make the difficult choice between returning to work and signing away their legal rights.

(New Castle, Pa.) The body of Amari Wise, who has been missing for over a week, was found near a creek in a wooded area off of Pennsylvania Avenue in Shenango Township Monday afternoon by a Shenango Twp. Police office who was patrolling the area. The County Coroner ruled Wise’s death as a homicide due to a gunshot wound to the head.

 

A father and son have been charged in Amari’s death. Connor Henry faces charges of criminal homicide and tampering with evidence, and his father, Todd Henry, was charged with criminal conspiracy to commit homicide, obstruction of justice and tampering with evidence.

 

Witnesses who have come forward have said that after an evening of partying Wise and another man started arguing and Connor Henry approached Wise from the back and shot him in the back of the head. There was also video and audio surveillance that was supplied by a neighbor and in it you can here a gun shot going off. Wise’s car was found on June 7 and had traces of blood in it. Police have been searching for Amari since then and made the unfortunate discovery of his body yesterday.

 

Connor Henry was arrested Sunday night in Ocean City and Todd Henry was arrested on Monday.

Lawmakers advance proposals on police hiring, training
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Two bills to change how police are hired and trained are moving ahead in the Pennsylvania Legislature after unanimous committee votes. The House Judiciary Committee OK’d the proposals on Monday, a week after black state representatives commandeered the speaker’s dais to pressure majority Republicans to take action on stalled bills involving how police interact with people. The committee voted to mandate thorough background checks for law enforcement officers and require applicants’ former employers to provide information on their job history. The committee also approved a measure that would mandate training in how to interact with people of various racial, ethnic and economic backgrounds.