Friday PA Capitol & Coronavirus NewsClips 3.20.20

The House is scheduled to be in session on Tuesday and Wednesday with remote voting rules in effect.
Ahead Of Primary, Amid Virus Fears, Organizers Strategize Around New Mail-In Voting Law

Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia Counties Ask State To Postpone Primary Election

Berks County Has Lost At Least 25% Of Poll Workers, 20% Of Locations

Editorial: Conduct Fair Elections Amid Crisis

Op-Ed: Here’s What Pennsylvanians Want From Their Legislators - House Democratic Leadership

Op-Ed: There Are Costs To Legalizing Recreational Marijuana, Like Addicting Kids

Editorial: Rehab State University System
Pennsylvania Unemployment Rate Stays At 4.7 Percent In February [PaCN]

Coronavirus

Gov. Wolf Orders All Non-Life-Sustaining Businesses To Close Or Face Enforcement Action [PaCN]

-- Click Here for a list of life-sustaining businesses
Micek: How To Apply For A Waiver From Non-Life-Sustaining Business Closure
AP-Mark Scolforo: Wolf’s Business Closure Order Draws Questions, Complaints
Dept. Of Health Reports 83 New Cases Of Coronavirus Bringing PA Total To 268 [PaCN]

AP-Marc Levy/Mark Scolforo: Governor Orders Non-Life-Sustaining Businesses To Shut Down

Spotlight PA: Wolf Orders All Non-Life-Sustaining Businesses To Close, Will Enforce Order 

Gov. Wolf: Economic Injury Disaster Loans For Small Businesses, Nonprofits Now Available From SBA [PaCN]

Business Groups Respond To The Governor's Order To Close Non-Life-Sustaining Businesses [PaCN]

Senate Republicans Will Do Their Part To Help Employers, Workers Through This Dire Health Crisis [PaCN]

House Republicans Oppose Wolf Measure To Help Slow The Spread Of The Deadly Coronavirus [PaCN]

House Republican Leaders Blast Wolf’s Shutdown Order

PA Manufacturers’ Assn. Calls Wolf’s Shutdown A Panicked Order

Some Suggest Wolf’s Shutdown Order Is Overreach

Stephen Caruso: Unemployment Phone Staff Cut In Half Amid COVID-19 Crunch
Dept. Of Banking & Securities' Resources, Help For Pennsylvanians Financially Impacted By COVID-19; Reporting Scams [PaCN]
Dept. Of Human Services Encourages Medicaid Providers To Use Telemedicine

Dept. Of Drug & Alcohol Programs Reminds Treatment Providers Of Flex Beds To Meet Capacity Needs

Dept. Of Agriculture Guidance For Animal Shelters, Boarding Facilities, Advice For Pet Owners [PaCN]

Dept. Of General Services Cancels April 14 Commonwealth Auto Auction

Virus Takes 4th Member Of Family Of The Northampton County Man Who Died

Bucks County Mom Who Lost Her Son To Swine Flu Calling For Strict Social Distancing In Face Of Coronavirus

Redner’s Markets Giving Employees A Raise During Coronavirus Pandemic

Community Effort Offers Help To Out-Of Work Restaurant Servers Who Can’t Make Ends Meet

Small Business Development Center: 5 Things Business Owners Affected By Virus Should Do Now

Thousands Facing Layoffs As Philadelphia Airport Slashes Service

Erie Nonprofits Worried About Financial Fallout From Pandemic
Erie County Coronavirus Response Fund Grows

Wolf’s Business Shutdown Order Draws Support, Criticism
S&P: PA Coal Mines Forced To Shut Down Due To COVID-19 Risk, Natural Gas Unaffected

Editorial: Protect Life, Economy From COVID-19

Editorial: Wolf’s Excessive Attack On PA Economy Will Hurt Lives

Allegheny Front: We Need PA Agriculture Now More Than Ever

Attorney General, Federal Authorities Form Task Force To Investigate Virus-Related Fraud

Editorial: There’s No Crisis Scammers Will Not Seek To Exploit

Dept. Of Health Reports 52 New Cases Of Coronavirus Bringing PA Total To 185 [PaCN]

Spotlight PA: Demand For ICU Beds Will Greatly Outstrip Availability If Virus Hits PA Hard

Significant Hospitalization Rates Taking A Toll In PA

Stephen Caruso: Senate Staffer Tests Negative For Coronavirus

Philips In Pittsburgh Looking For Workers to Assembly Badly Needed Ventilators

Editorial: Waive Copays For COVID-19 Treatment

Dept. Of Education Cancels PSSA, Keystones And PASA Assessments [PaCN]

Schools Across PA Wary Of Offering Online Instruction During Closures

Restarting Kids’ Education Amid Virus Won’t Be Easy

Op-Ed: With Classes Canceled For Weeks, Schools Must Embrace Innovation And Choice

Ed Mahon: Child Care Providers Dealing With Sleepless Nights, Hard Decisions

PHEAA Authorizes Financial Aide Relief For PA Students In Postsecondary Schools [PaCN]

Penn State Is Partially Refunding Housing, Meal Plans, Not Tuition

Auditor General: State Universities Should Refund Room & Board For Students Sent Home

Dept. Of Revenue Extends Deadline To Apply For Property Tax/Rent Rebate To Dec. 31 [PaCN]

Dept. Of Aging: PACE Pharmacy Program Offers Prescription Extensions [PaCN]

PA Turnpike To Reopen All 17 Service Plazas Starting Friday Morning

Dept. Of Human Services Restricts Visitation To State-Run Care Centers, Youth Development and Youth Forestry Camps [PaCN]

Nearly 200 Allegheny County Jail Inmates Set For Release Amid Virus Concerns

State Officials, Activists Argue Over Coronavirus In Prisons

Federal Inmates From New York City Area Virus Hot Zone May Be Housed In Union County

Northampton County Man Who Died Of Virus Trained Horses At Mohegan Sun Casino

Pittsburgh Mayor Self-Quarantines At Home After Coming In Contact With 2 People Who Tested Positive

Bethlehem Casino Employee Tests Positive For Coronavirus

Lancaster General Hospital Provider Tests Positive For Coronavirus

Two Penn State Students Have COVID-19

Two Shippensburg Students Test Positive For Virus, Quarantined Out Of State

3 Members Of Sixers Organization Test Positive For COVID-19

Spotlight PA: PA Police Cut Services, Plan For Shortages As Virus Spreads
Deadline For Filing Federal Tax Returns Is July 15

AP: Governor’s Raise Alarm As Coronavirus Taxes Health Systems

AP: Republican U.S. Senator Dumped $1.7 Million In Stock After Warning Major Contributors Of Virus Dangers, But Not The Public

AP: Global Stocks, U.S. Futures Rise On Virus Aid Hopes

Click Here For This Week’s PA Coronavirus NewsClips

Friday PA Environment & Energy NewsClips 3.20.20 -- Click Here

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FairDistrictsPA: Fix Our Broken Redistricting Process 

[Posted: March 20, 2020]