Gov. Wolf announces all Pa. counties, except Lebanon Co., moving to 'green' phase by June 26, and other news ...

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Only Lebanon Co. Remaining in 'Yellow' as Gov. Wolf Announces 12 More Counties Going 'Green' June 26

All Pa. counties, except Lebanon Co., will be going "green" by June 26.

Gov. Tom Wolf announced on Friday that 12 more counties will be eligible to enter the "green" phase of the administration's reopening plan on June 26. The 12 counties moving into "green" next week are Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Erie, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia and Susquehanna counties.

These 12 new counties will join 54 counties that, as of June 19, are already operating in Gov. Wolf's "green" phase. This includes Adams, Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Blair, Bradford, Butler, Cambria, Cameron, Carbon, Centre, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Crawford, Cumberland, Dauphin, Elk, Fayette, Forest, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Huntingdon, Indiana, Juniata, Jefferson, Lawrence, Lycoming, Luzerne, McKean, Mercer, Mifflin, Monroe, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Pike, Potter, Schuylkill, Snyder, Somerset, Sullivan, Tioga, Union, Venango, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Westmoreland, Wyoming, and York counties.

Although Philadelphia met the criteria and was given the "go ahead" by the administration to move into the "green" phase next week, city officials are instituting additional restrictions for residents until July 3. Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said on Friday that the city's plan to enter the "green" phase will be different from the state's recommendations, maintaining restrictions on casinos, movie theaters, conventions, and other gatherings.

The only county in Pennsylvania that will not be officially moved into the "green" phase by the governor's administration next week is Lebanon County. Gov. Wolf said that county officials decided to prematurely reopen weeks ago, against the advice of the state's Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine, causing the county to see an increase in new cases. Lebanon County officials expressed their displeasure with the administration, calling the governor a "dictator" in response to Friday's announcement.

Earlier this week, Gov. Wolf reminded Pennsylvanians that masks are still required when entering businesses in both "yellow" and "green" phase counties. He said as Pennsylvania continues to open up more businesses and activities, residents need to be "vigilant" in their efforts to stop the spread of the virus, and ensure no spikes occur over the next several weeks. The governor maintains that the state's COVID-19 mitigation efforts have worked to slow the spread of the virus. He noted that according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention proprietary data for states, Pennsylvania is one of just three states that has had a downward trajectory of COVID-19 cases for more than 42 days. The other two states are Montana and Hawaii.

Also this week, t he Pennsylvania Supreme Court agreed on Wednesday to take over a lawsuit filed by Republican state Senate leaders against Gov. Tom Wolf's orders relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Republican Senate leaders are seeking the enforcement of a resolution passed by the General Assembly that would end the emergency disaster declaration imposed by Gov. Wolf in March to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Pa. Legislature returns next week...here is a preview of what they may address.

Both the Pennsylvania House and Senate return to session on Monday. Here are some issues they may take up:

One major development announced this week by the state's Department of General Services is reopening of the State Capitol Building to visitors. This means lobbyists, advocates and other members of the general public will once again be able to witness state government in action, although visitors will need to wear masks and follow other mitigation efforts.

In the House this week, members will be electing a new Speaker on Monday, after the official retirement of former Speaker Mike Turzai on July 15. All signs point to current Republican Leader, Rep. Bryan Cutler, to take over the top spot. In addition, House Republicans will need to elect new Caucus leaders, as Cutler's appointment to Speaker of the House will leave a vacancy in other leadership posts within the House GOP.

The House is also expected to take up legislation addressing police reforms across the Commonwealth. This week, the House Judiciary Committee moved two proposals that would provide additional accountability, transparency and training requirements for Pennsylvania's law enforcement.

Also, the House plans to take up legislation that would encourage the reporting of waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayer dollars. Known as the "Commonwealth Fraud Prevention Act," the proposal was spearheaded by a joint, bicameral and bipartisan group of legislators, and is supported by Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro.

In the Senate, it is expected that the chamber will also take a look at specific police reform measures. The Senate Judiciary and Law and Justice committees held joint hearings this week, with testimony from police, prosecutors, activists and other stakeholders.

In addition, it is rumored that the Senate may take up a massive gambling expansion bill that would authorize up to 60,000 video gaming terminals in bars, restaurants and taverns throughout the Commonwealth. In 2017, along with the legalization of sports betting and iGaming, the General Assembly permitted video gaming terminals to only operate in truck stops across the state.

On Tuesday, the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee plans to hold a public hearing to examine Pennsylvania's participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). In addition, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee will hold a hearing on Medicaid Pharmacy Reimbursement on Monday.

Other News...

With retirements and primary losses, Pa. General Assembly to see considerable turnover in 2021. A recent report released by the news outlet Pennsylvania Capital-Star highlights that even before November's general election, 25 legislators will not return to serve in the General Assembly in 2021. The turnover includes some long-serving members and powerful leaders, such as former Speaker of the House Mike Turzai, among those not returning.

Pennsylvanians on probation cannot be unilaterally banned from using medical marijuana. Earlier this week, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled unanimously that county judges cannot use blanket orders to ban Pennsylvanians on probation from legally using medical marijuana. The lawsuit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of a group of Lebanon County residents.

$175 million made available to Pa. health systems for nursing home COVID-19 response. Pennsylvania will provide $175 million to health systems across the Commonwealth for COVID-19 response measures inside long-term care facilities hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. The General Assembly recently approved the plan to have health systems provide testing and infection control for nursing homes and other facilities in the state.

Utility termination moratorium will continue says state PUC. This week, Pennsylvania’s Public Utility Commission rejected a proposal to end its moratorium that prevents the state's utility companies from terminating services to delinquent customers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The PUC initiated the termination moratorium in March as the state aggressively instituted mitigation efforts and stay-at-home orders to fight the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Daily COVID-19 update for Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 335 new positive confirmed cases of COVID-19 statewide on Friday, bringing the state total to 80,762. In addition, 6,399 Pennsylvanians have died from complications from the virus. To date, there have been nearly 557,000 negative cases across the state.

Daily COVID-19 update for Ohio

The Ohio Department of Health reported 43,731 cumulative cases of COVID-19 and 2,667 deaths, including probable cases, by Friday afternoon. There have been 7,167 hospitalizations and 1,820 ICU admissions.

Unprecedented times, but McNees is here to help

The situation surrounding COVID-19 is changing by the hour. Capitol Buzz will do its best to keep our readers as up-to-date as possible as to local, state and federal actions relating to the virus.

As we have stated in previous editions, for those businesses seeking guidance or assistance on how to proceed during this unprecedented time, please contact the McNees Labor and Employment Practice Group , or for government relations and nonprofit consulting assistance please contact the McNees Strategic Solutions Group (MSSG) .

You can also visit the McNees COVID-19 Article & Resource Page for more information on various legal and political issues created by the novel coronavirus.

For more information on what you can do to protect yourself and others, check out the CDC's coronavirus information page or visit www.health.pa.gov .