PA Chamber Expresses Dismay at Governor's Veto of Opioid Addiction Bill

The Huntingdon County Chamber of Commerce is disappointed with the Governor's decision to veto this important bill that we have lobbied for since introduced. Both Senator Eichelberger and Representative Irvin supported the bill. The following is a press release by the PA Chamber. 

On Friday, April 27 - nine days after the General Assembly had sent him a bill to help address opioid addiction among Pennsylvania's injured worker population - Gov. Tom Wolf issued his veto of S.B. 936. The PA Chamber was at the forefront in support for this legislation, which aimed to implement a prescription drug formulary within the state's workers compensation system. Formularies are standard in healthcare and states that have established them within workers' comp have seen a notable decrease in the number of opioid-dependent injured workers. Joining the PA Chamber in support for this bill was a broad array of stakeholders, including the Hospital & Health System Association of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Occupational and Environmental Medical Society, Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association, Concentra (the largest provider of occupational medicine in the country), addition treatment professionals, other groups representing employers, school districts and municipalities, as well as more than 70 local chambers of commerce. 

"The Governor's veto message is puzzling," Pa Chamber President Gene Barr said in a press release on Friday. "He does not appear to recognize that under S.B. 936 his own Department of Labor & Industry would have selected the formulary. I'm also disturbed that the message insinuates that a prescription drug formulary could encourage opioid use. This flies in the face of overwhelming evidence that drug formularies have helped reduce opioid use and addiction in state workers' compensation systems across the country." 

To continue reading more, please click here. 

On The Job Training Program

• Cuts the cost of wages for employers by a minimum of 50% during the training time.
• Reduces the employer's costs for advertising and recruitment.
• Allows employers to make all hiring and firing decisions.
• Guarantees a quick referral process.
• Requires minimal paperwork.
• May involve a single placement, a number of people for one type of job, or a variety of jobs. 

• Post the job on the CareerLink system.
• A search is then conducted of the eligible applicant pool for people who match the characteristics set by the employer. The employer is then provided the information about potential candidates in the manner in which they have requested. 
• The employer decides whom they want to hire and a possible start date. The Business Services staff is notified about the circumstances of the hire. 
• The employer and the Business Services Representative negotiate a contract, which includes a training plan, length of training and costs to be reimbursed to the employer for providing the training. It is important to note that this contract MUST be in place BEFORE an eligible client begins working or the opportunity to secure funding will be lost. 

The Chamber is now offering use of our Bulk Mail Permit for FREE to our members. Bulk Mail Permits cost $250.00 per year. If you are interested in using the Bulk Mailing Stamp, we will walk you through the process to make it easy for you. You will still have to pay postage. 

If you are interested in saving money on your electric bill, please contact ymartin@huntingdonchamber.com or 814-643-1110 to get connected with the program endorsed by 120 chambers of commerce in PA and 80 Harrisburg based associations. OnDemand Energy manages 6 billion kWh in PA. There is no cost or obligation involved with seeing how much money your business or organization can save. In many cases it has been quite a significant savings. OnDemand Energy can also review your gas savings options with you. 

You are now able to be the exclusive sponsor of our weekly e-newsletter. The cost is $200 a quarter and includes your name in the email heading as the sponsor and an ad (2 in. wide and 3 in. tall) at the top of the left column of the newsletter. 

If you only want to have an ad (2 in. wide and 2 1/2 in. tall) in the left column, the cost is $100 per quarter or $300 per year. Please continue to share your events and special news and we will include that information for free. Contact mlocke@huntingdonchamber.com if you would like to include your ad in our e-newsletter or be the exclusive sponsor. 

Many of you have been asking about more opportunities to send email blasts to our database of nearly 1,000. Currently individual blasts are $50 for for-profit businesses and $25 for non-profits. You can now purchase one blast a week for a quarter for $200 or one blast a week for a year for $500. Non-profits pay $100 for the quarter or $250 for the year. Contact mlocke@huntingdonchamber.com if you are interested in taking advantage of this special opportunity. 

This group is being brought to you at the request of HCCC members during the most recent survey. The HCCC Member to Member group is a closed group for Chamber members only to post questions and important information that other members will find valuable. Please invite other Chamber members to join our group and share in discussions. 

If you have any business news and updates, achievements, awards or recognitions that you would like to be included, it can be done for FREE! If you have an event that is free or all the proceeds are being donated to a non-profit as a fundraiser, we'll include it for FREE! If you'd like to include a promotion or a money making event or non-profit fundraiser where proceeds will benefit the organization's operations, we charge a small fee. (Profit - $25 and Non-Profit - $10) Contact MacKenzie Locke at 814-643-1110 or mlocke@huntingdonchamber.com if you're interested in including an article.