As soon as Governor Tom Wolf issued his declaration that “all non-life-sustaining businesses in Pennsylvania (must) close their physical locations as of (8 PM last night), both of the Republican-led chambers of the General Assembly sprang into action, strongly criticizing the action and questioning his authority.
The House Republican leadership issued a statement that “The Wolf Administration set off a panic…throughout the Commonwealth.” The House will “explore all avenues” to determine whether Wolf has the constitutional authority to issue such an order.
Senate GOP leaders were just as outraged. Their statement contends that every business is life-sustaining to someone, and “the economic devastation that is being caused will last long into the future.”
Neither the House or Senate Democratic caucuses have released statements on Wolf’s actions.
The governor’s order says “Enforcement actions against businesses that do not close physical locations will begin at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday.”
HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP STATEMENT:
“The Wolf Administration set off a panic tonight throughout the Commonwealth with its edict to shut down employers. The ill-prepared actions, announced after normal business hours, are not only an economic blow to every worker in the state right now but will have ramifications long into the future.
“Any announcement in an emergency event such as this calls for clear and efficient lines of communication, but the open-ended and short-noticed announcement today is the complete opposite and only adds to the sense of chaos many Pennsylvanians are struggling with tonight.
“These actions will shut down many small, family-owned shops and businesses, not only for the duration of this event, but possibly, and probably, forever.
“The sprawling and confusing list provided by the governor is provided with no explanation, and we will explore all avenues available to us to determine whether the action he’s taken is allowed within our state Constitution.
“It is incumbent upon all state leaders to recognize that long after we have defeated this public health threat, we must have the ability to create economic opportunities for all Pennsylvanians.
“Therefore, we are compelled to raise our voice on behalf of millions of hard-working Pennsylvanians who are already making enormous sacrifices in the face of this worldwide event, none of which was of their own choosing.”
SENATE REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP STATEMENT:
“We understand the dire health crisis COVID-19 presents in the Commonwealth. We understand that we are in uncharted territory as we try to prevent the spread of this deadly disease.
“At the same time, we know that every business is life-sustaining to someone – whether employers or employees. The economic devastation that is being caused will last long into the future, especially for small-business owners. Because of the manner in which the Governor released this information, we have more questions about his unilateral decision than there are answers.
“We are calling on the Governor to provide a process for the state’s employers to appeal this decree. Further, the Governor and the Secretaries of Labor and Industry and Community and Economic Development need to become transparent about their decision-making process and publicly answer the many questions this has raised.
“In the meantime, we strongly encourage employers and workers to learn more about resources that may be available to help them cope with the challenges that lie ahead. We will continue to do our part in ensuring every effort is made to help employers and our communities emerge from this crisis stronger than ever.
“We remain committed to working cooperatively with the Governor and state agencies to slow the spread of this dangerous virus and ease the impact of this crisis on individuals, families and employers. While at the same time, we will stand with our small-business owners who now face challenges that seemed unfathomable just a few weeks ago.”
Comments