House Advances Economic Recovery Measures
Three bills aimed at supporting employers, schools and others recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, were voted out of the House this week. House Bill 605 would protect against costly frivolous lawsuits by providing civil liability protections to health care providers, schools, small business owners, farmers, restaurants and others who did their part to keep people safe during the pandemic. The bill does not cover those who put others at risk. Anybody who exhibits gross negligence can and should be held accountable.
The measure is the first in the "Commonwealth’s COVID Comeback" package to earn House approval. The House also approved two bills to aid bars and restaurants, which were particularly hard hit by COVID-19 mitigation orders. House Bill 427, which I co-sponsored, would increase the discount licensed establishments receive when purchasing wine and spirits from state liquor stores from 10% to 15%. Finally, House Bill 425 would allow a licensee that closes permanently to sell their liquor or wine to another licensee, helping those who did not survive the crisis. All three measures now go to the Senate for consideration.
L&I to Move to New Unemployment Compensation System in June
Pennsylvanians will have a much quicker and easier time filing claims for unemployment compensation (UC) benefits when the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry (L&I) launches its new UC system on June 8. According to L&I, the new system and modern software will replace the obsolete 40-year-old mainframe system, which was unable to keep pace with the crush of claims coming in during the pandemic. The new system will be easy to use; provide access to important information; and streamline the claims filing process for workers, employers, UC program staff and third-party administrators.
The new UC system will have a different look and feel than the current system and is better aligned with the user interface of modern websites, making it more intuitive to use. It will also provide access to more information and self-serve options and reduce the need for claimants to contact the UC service center. Prior to implementation, L&I will provide user guides and will hold live workshops with UC experts to assist individuals on how to use the new system. Announcements will be made in the coming weeks regarding the dates of the workshops and how to access them.
L&I is also in the process of hiring and training an additional 500 to 1,000 customer service representatives and 180 interviewers to help Pennsylvanians with their questions and claims. Claimants, businesses and other users can view tutorials and instruction guides for the new system at uc.pa.gov.
Important Note: The federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program operates on a separate system and will not be affected by the transition of other programs to the new UC system.
Protecting Against Repeat DUI Offenders
Legislation to improve public safety and save taxpayer dollars by targeting repeat DUI offenders passed the House this week. House Bill 521 would authorize courts to require an alcohol-monitoring device as a condition of bail, probation or parole for repeat offenders. A repeat DUI offender is an individual who is pending adjudication for a DUI and has one or more prior DUI convictions within the past 10 years or is pending adjudication for two or more DUIs. Data shows recidivism rates for repeat DUI offenders who wore a device for at least 90 days are 50% less than those who were alternatively sentenced. In York County, the program has resulted in a dramatic reduction in the number of DUI offenders arrested for another DUI within the first year, in DUI victims served by the district attorney’s office and in the number of alcohol-related crashes. The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.
