SENATORS COLLETT, KEARNEY, MUTH, L. WILLIAMS ANNOUNCE BILL TO SUSPEND PER DIEM PAY FOR LEGISLATORS DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Harrisburg, Pa. – July 30, 2020 — Senators Maria Collett (D-12 Montgomery/Bucks), Tim Kearney (D-26 Delaware/Chester), Katie Muth (D-44 Berks/Chester/Montgomery) and Lindsey M. Williams (D-38 Allegheny County) have introduced a bill memo for co-sponsorship to suspend per diem payments to members of the General Assembly through the duration of the COVID-19 emergency declaration.

Throughout the pandemic, Pennsylvanians have been asked to sacrifice for the sake of public health – so too should members of our legislature. Per diem payments are daily allowances intended to cover travel, lodging, meals and other expenses for Pennsylvania legislators when traveling to Harrisburg on session days or outside of their district on legislative business. Legislators can opt in or out of per diem payments. A temporary, unanimously passed rule change allows senators to participate in session remotely, eliminating the need to travel to Harrisburg and receive per diem for related expenses. 

“As public servants, we have no higher duty than to stand with and support our constituents through challenging circumstances,” said Senator Collett. “This small sacrifice will ensure that legislators aren’t collecting money that may go to better use, and working remotely – something so many Pennsylvanians are being asked to do – will help keep legislators, their staff, and their communities safe from potential COVID-19 exposure.”

“At a time when more than one million Pennsylvanians are unemployed, state lawmakers should be setting an example by suspending per diems,” said Senator Kearney. “All of us have been asked to make sacrifices during this pandemic, and the General Assembly should be no different. This is the least we can do while we work towards a just economic recovery that helps all Pennsylvanians.”

“This is the very least public officials, who have had a paycheck the entire pandemic, can do,” said Senator Muth. “Pennsylvania taxpayers continue to pay per diem for legislators who travel to Harrisburg at a time when we should not be traveling. If a legislator chooses to go to Harrisburg, they should be responsible for the costs as a virtual option is available. So many are unemployed, due to the pandemic, and lining the pockets of salaried legislators should not be an option.”

“The Senate has unanimously adopted rules allowing all Members to fully participate remotely in all aspects of Session, committee meetings, and policy hearings during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Senator Williams. “Suspending these payments would not impact Members’ ability to fully represent their constituents in Harrisburg. I personally opted not to take a per diem because I believe that all spending of taxpayer dollars should be fully transparent, but this is even more important during an emergency when so many other Pennsylvanians are being asked to make sacrifices.”

Participating members of the General Assembly are paid $178 per day on per diem, and suspending these payments would free up hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer money during an unprecedented public health and economic crisis. This legislation would prohibit per diem payments until the Governor’s Disaster Declaration related to COVID-19 has ended. 

It should be noted that none of the prime sponsors of this bill receive a per diem.

At Lewis funeral, Obama calls for renewing Voting Rights Act
By BILL BARROW Associated Press
ATLANTA (AP) — Former President Barack Obama has used Rep. John Lewis’ funeral to issue a stark warning that the voting rights and equal opportunity the late civil rights icon championed are under increasing threat heading into the 2020 election. Obama urged Congress on Thursday to honor Lewis by revitalizing the Voting Rights Act, “the law he was willing to die for.” Obama called the Senate filibuster a relic of Jim Crow segregation and said it should be abolished if that’s what it takes to pass such a law. The Democratic-led House has adopted a sweeping rewrite of the Voting Rights Act, but it faces opposition in the Republican-led Senate.

Wall Street slips, but tech strength helps it pare losses
By STAN CHOE AP Business Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Most of Wall Street is pulling lower on Thursday, but the indefatigable rise for big tech stocks is helping the market trim its losses. The S&P 500 was down 0.5% in late afternoon trading, with nearly three quarters of the stocks in the index lower. Among the hardest-hit were banks, oil producers and other companies that most need the economy to pull out of its recession. But stronger-than-expected profit reports from several companies helped the market trim its losses. So did steadying prices for Amazon and other big tech-oriented stocks, which are set to report their own results after Thursday’s trading ends.

GOP rep blasted over parody of appeal for trans tolerance
By MICHAEL RUBINKAM and MARC LEVY Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gov. Tom Wolf is denouncing a Republican state lawmaker and self-styled opponent of mask-wearing for mimicking the words of the state’s health secretary, who is transgender, by appealing for tolerance of the “unmasked community.” Lebanon County Rep. Russ Diamond on Wednesday released a nearly word-for-word parody of Dr. Rachel Levine’s call for tolerance and acceptance of LGBTQ people. Diamond swapped out her references to “LGBTQ” with “unmasked.” Diamond’s parody drew the wrath of the Democratic governor, who on Thursday called it “abhorrent, disrespectful, dangerous” and a “thinly veiled attack on the LGBTQ community” and Levine. Diamond responded by calling Wolf’s pandemic policies “abhorrent, unlawful, political and deadly.”

(WASHINGTON, DC) – Representative Conor Lamb (PA-17) introduced the bipartisan Supporting American Families, Employers (SAFE) Kids and Jobs Act with his colleagues, Representative Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-1) and Linda Sánchez (CA-38).  The text of the SAFE Kids and Jobs Act passed the House yesterday on a bipartisan basis as part of the Child Care for Economic Recovery Act (H.R. 7327); the legislation will help families pay for child or dependent care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Too many families in my district are struggling to afford childcare during this pandemic.  With many schools and summer camps closed, families shouldn’t have to choose between working or keeping their kids safe,” said Lamb.  “The SAFE Kids and Jobs Act would help millions of Americans pay for childcare while working.”

The SAFE Kids and Jobs act would establish a tax credit to encourage employers to help cover the cost of child or dependent care for their employees during the pandemic.  Employers would receive this credit quickly and efficiently through the payroll tax system.

“This commonsense bill is designed to get money for care into the hands of Pennsylvanians as quickly as possible.  Ensuring they can pay for childcare helps workers, families, and employers,” added Lamb.

The SAFE Kids and Jobs act builds on Lamb’s work on childcare affordability for working families.  Leading up to the CARES Act negotiations, Lamb led a letter calling on House and Senate leadership to increase funding and flexibility for the Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Program, to help essential workers like police, doctors, first responders and grocery store workers access childcare.  The CARES Act, which was signed into law in March, included $3.5 billion in CCDBG funding and language that allowed essential workers to access this critical program.

Click here to learn more about the SAFE Kids and Jobs Act.

2nd US virus surge hits plateau, but few experts celebrate
By MIKE STOBBE and NICKY FORSTER Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — While deaths are mounting rapidly in the U.S., the nation’s second surge in coronavirus cases appears to be leveling off, though experts say that the good news is driven by changes in a few large states and that cases are rising in many states. Indeed, few scientists are celebrating. Some are skeptical that improvements in states like Florida and Texas will endure. They are watching worrisome upticks across much of the country.