Additional Pa. counties to move to 'green' phase, recap of a wild week in Pa. General Assembly, and other news ...

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Gov. Wolf Approves 10 More Counties to Move to 'Green" Phase on June 19

Eight more Pennsylvania counties approved to move into Gov. Wolf's 'green' phase by June 19.

As the Republican-controlled General Assembly and Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf continue to battle over the state's COVID-19 emergency disaster response, the administration announced on Friday that eight more counties have been approved to enter the "green" phase of the governor's reopening plan.

The new counties to go "green" on Friday, June 19 include Dauphin, Franklin, Huntingdon, Luzerne, Monroe, Perry, Pike, and Schuylkill counties. They will join 46 other counties who are currently in "green" as of Friday, June 12. Friday's announcement continues Gov. Wolf's slow and deliberate loosening of stay-at-home and business closure restrictions put in place to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.

In the "green" phase, aggressive mitigation orders and restrictions on business activities and gatherings will be lifted, other than federal and state social-distancing and health-monitoring guidelines that help stop the spread of the virus. This will include continued restrictions on large gatherings, like concerts, festivals and sporting events, as well as limitations on capacity for restaurants, bars and entertainment, such as movie theaters and licensed casinos.

Updated guidance for businesses in the "yellow" and "green" phases of the state's reopening plan can be found here. The governor also issued preliminary guidance for the return of sports activities throughout the Commonwealth, which can be found here. In addition, guidance on summer camps can be found here.

Also, last week, the Pennsylvania Department of Education announced that K-12 schools located in "yellow" and "green" phase counties can reopen for in-person instruction and other school activities beginning July 1. Colleges, universities and other post-secondary institutions in Pennsylvania were allowed to reopen their campuses on Friday, June 5th.

Earlier in the week, the Pennsylvania General Assembly sent a proposal to Gov. Tom Wolf that would end the Commonwealth's emergency disaster declaration altogether. The adoption of House Resolution 836 sets up another showdown between the state legislature and Gov. Wolf over the administration's handling of the novel coronavirus crisis. The governor said that he will disapprove of the resolution, effectively vetoing the measure, which will initiate a possible legal battle over the separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches of Pennsylvania's government.

Legislative Recap: A wild week in the Pa. General Assembly sets the stage for an unpredictable summer, fall.

This week's legislative session in the Pennsylvania General Assembly was not without drama.

First, on Monday, Democratic lawmakers took over the Speaker of the House's podium demanding the House of Representatives address police reforms in the wake of the death of George Floyd. Standing at the front of the House Chamber, lawmakers took turns addressing members from the Speaker's podium, which prevented the start of Monday's scheduled House floor session . The protest seemed to work, as House Republicans and Democrats met and identified some bills that could potentially move from the House Judiciary Committee as early as Monday.

Then, both the Senate and House moved quickly to pass a concurrent resolution on Tuesday to end Gov. Tom Wolf's COVID-19 emergency disaster declaration . Gov. Wolf vowed to "veto" the legislation, saying the legislature put into jeopardy meaningful and effective protections for businesses, workers and residents.

And finally, on Wednesday, Speaker of the House Mike Turzai announced his retirement from the Chamber , effective June 15, ending months of speculation of when one of the highest ranking Republicans in Pennsylvania would retire from office. Turzai announced in January plans to forego another term in the House and to not run for reelection to his seat representing the 28th Legislative District.

Battles over how to handle the COVID-19 emergency disaster, possible movement on police reform measures, and the election of a new Speaker of the House, as well as regrouping to finalize the state budget, are all in the cards for the General Assembly to close out 2020.

However, the legislature passed other significant measures that you might have missed amid this week's headlines:

Expanding broadband access in Pennsylvania. The House passed two measures this week that would make funding available to expand broadband internet access across the Commonwealth , particularly in rural parts of Pennsylvania.

Senate advances bill to limit emergency declarations to 30 days. This week, the state Senate approved a proposed constitutional amendment that would restrict emergency disaster declarations issued by Pennsylvania's executive branch to only 30 days, unless an extension is approved by the General Assembly. The proposal, which now heads to the state House, was approved along bipartisan lines, with only six senators voting against the bill.

New Capital Budget bill sent to Gov. Wolf. The House and Senate passed a new Capital Budget bill for 2019-2020, which amends the Capital Budget Project Itemization Act and provides an outline for new prospective capital projects that could be funded by the state over the next 10 years. For example, in order to apply for Pennsylvania's Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program, or RACP, a project must first be eligible under the Capital Budget Project Itemization Act.

Pennsylvania will study its 2020 primary election. Legislation that would require the Pennsylvania Department of State to report on the effectiveness of and problems with last week's primary election was sent to Gov. Wolf. The bill would require the state to report on more than two dozen data points relating to this year's election procedures. The governor is expected to sign the proposal into law.

Additional bills relating to long-term care amid COVID-19 pandemic pass House. The House also unanimously passed two proposals related to long-term care facilities and the COVID-19 pandemic. One measure creates the Long-Term Care Facility Personal Protective Equipment Reimbursement Grant program. The other would require the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) to publish data and statistics on COVID-19 infection rates in long-term care facilities across the Commonwealth.

House passes bill amending the Engineer, Land Surveyor and Geologist Registration Law. The House passed legislation that makes a number of changes to state law regulating engineers, land surveyors and geologists in the Commonwealth. The bill includes provisions to help clear up some confusion created by a recent court decision involving the practice of both engineering and land surveying. The bill is supported by the Pennsylvania Society of Professional Engineers and the Pennsylvania Society of Land Surveyors.

Daily COVID-19 update for Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 686 new positive confirmed cases of COVID-19 statewide on Friday, bringing the state total to 77,999. In addition, 6,162 Pennsylvanians have died from complications from the virus. To date, there have been nearly 489,000 negative cases across the state.

Daily COVID-19 update for Ohio

The Ohio Department of Health reported 40,424 cumulative cases of COVID-19 and 2,508 deaths, including probable cases, by Friday afternoon. There have been 6,814 hospitalizations and 1,745 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 .