Volume 3 | Issue 10 | December 16, 2020 |
|
From the Desk of The Chairman
COMMUNITY & GOVERNMENT RELATIONS COMMITTEE
Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce
|
|
Dear Members and Friends,
Happy Holidays from the Southern Chester County Chamber’s Community & Government Relations Committee!
As we reflect on 2020, many of you are probably thinking the same thing as I am – “What the heck was that?” Yes, this was an unprecedented year in so many ways with challenges like most of us have never faced. But it also was a year of adapting, trying new ways to accomplish goals, thinking in brand new ways and giving us a whole new perspective of how we can overcome challenges and stay resilient as we shift the way we conduct business. Because of that resilience, I remain excited at what we can accomplish this upcoming year!
I would like to thank the following members of this committee who remained focused throughout the year to listen to our members, stay in constant communication with elected officials at all levels of government, and serve as advocates for our entire community:
|
|
Doug Doerfler, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, Genesis - Chairman
Donna Hosler Charlton, Office Elf Bookkeeping
Liz Ferry, Chamber of Commerce Greater Phila.
Christine S. Gordon, CRPC, Merrill Lynch
Alex Halper, PA Chamber of Business & Industry
Susan Hamley, CCCVB
James T. Horn, The Tri-M Group, LLC
Cheryl B. Kuhn, IOM, SCCCC
|
|
John Lawrence, PA State Representative
Robert Listerman, BTR Security
MaryFrances McGarrity, CCEDC
Dennis Melton, Melton Architects
Ashley Miscevich, SCCCC
Tim Moore, Exelon Generation
Tim Phelps, TMACC
James E. Turner, Chester Water Authority
|
|
In 2021, the Committee will take a more active role in tightening the connection between our business community and elected officials. Our efforts will be dedicated to education of and building awareness to issues we are facing, connecting the appropriate stakeholders to form strategies to address those issues, and not just support, but influence new legislation that can best support our business community as a whole.
One of the new features you can find in “The Reporter” each month will be a Legislative Alert, which will highlight a current or upcoming piece of legislation, summary of our support for or against the bill, and steps you can take to ensure your voice is heard throughout the legislative process. Our first highlight will be featured this month, where we will be featuring HB 1737, which was vetoed by Governor Wolf earlier this month. Please keep in mind, we will remain committed to focusing on THE ISSUE and not the individual politics of the elected officials. I hope this is one of many additions to what this committee can do to better serve you in this new year!
As always, take advantage of this group! We want to hear from you on what we can share with business leaders and local elected officials. Let us know how can we best work with local officials to promote our business community and most importantly, our Membership. Don’t hesitate to reach out to the Chamber at 610-444-0774 or to me directly at 610-925-4206 if you have questions or comments.
Warmest Holiday Wishes to you all, and please remember to SHOP LOCAL this season!
|
|
Doug Doerfler, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, Committee Chairman
Community & Government Relations Committee
Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce
|
|
Pennsylvania HB1737
An Act amending Title 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in particular rights and immunities, providing for economic development agency, fiduciary and lender environmental liability protection, for agritourism activity protection and for COVID-19-related liability; and making a related repeal.
|
|
The legislation will specifically afford healthcare providers and entities, including hospitals; nursing homes; temporary healthcare sites established for the pandemic; higher education institutions that operate healthcare facilities; EMS providers; clinical laboratories; and businesses that manufacture or distribute personal protective equipment (PPE), immunity from civil liability for damages or personal injury arising out of “treatment or testing for COVID-19 to patients who have been exposed to or whom a covered provider reasonably believes may have been exposed to COVID-19.” In addition to providing protection for healthcare providers, the bill also provides schools, child care facilities, and other business or government services immunity from negligence suits alleging actual or alleged exposure to COVID-19.
The bill prohibits civil liability so long as the provider or business made good faith efforts to comply with public health guidelines, including state and federal orders related to COVID-19. Covered entities are also protected from liability for claims arising out of (1) a shortage in PPE, supplies, or personnel resulting from the pandemic and (2) the provision of care to patients in excess of their normal capacity as a result of the need to test for or treat COVID-19. Furthermore, the bill protects hospitals, nursing homes, and other businesses from vicarious liability for the conduct of individual employees covered by the act. However, immunity does not apply if the injured party can establish with clear and convincing evidence that a covered individual or entity acted grossly negligent, recklessly, or intentionally.
The Governor vetoed this bill, putting many Pennsylvania businesses at risk. The Chamber supports this bill - please reach out to your local legislatures to express your support. To view the Senate and House vote counts, please follow the links below. Link to find your local legislature here.
|
|
CPE Carryover, Budget Among Bills Signed into Law |
|
Right before the Thanksgiving holiday, Gov. Wolf signed into law more than two dozen bills, including legislation that allows for the carryover of excess continuing education credits.
House Bill 64, now Act 116 of 2020, sponsored by Rep. Harry Readshaw (D-Allegheny), allows professional licensing boards and commissions within the Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs to permit their licensees to carry over continuing education credits in excess of the number required for biennial renewal.
The governor also signed into law the 2020-2021 Supplemental Appropriations Bill (Senate Bill 1350), which provides full funding for state programs and services through June 30, 2021, along with amendments to the Fiscal Code (House Bill 2536).
Another bill signed into law amends the Public School Code (Senate Bill 1216, now Act 136 of 2020). Now, education tax credits awarded to a business during the 2020-2021 or 2021-2022 fiscal years that cannot be used during the fiscal year in which it was awarded may be carried forward and used during the two taxable years following the taxable year in which the credit was awarded.
|
|
Critical Comment Period Opens in Review of Wolf Administration’s
Plan to Join RGGI
|
|
Those most harmed by the Wolf Administration’s “March to the Sea” regulatory campaign to destroy jobs in Pennsylvania’s energy industry have a two-month window to fight back. A public comment period, November 7 to January 14, 2021, has opened before the Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC).
“Pennsylvania’s power generation sector is in full compliance with the strictest EPA and DEP standards, yet Governor Wolf wants to move the goalposts again,” said PMA President & CEO David N. Taylor. “The comment period at IRRC is critical for employers, employees, and consumers to resist Governor Wolf’s unilateral move to tear down Pennsylvania’s energy economy by imposing a carbon tax.”
The tax is the price of admission to a cartel of 11 Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states known as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI, a government contrived cap-and-trade plan to attempt to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Joining RGGI will cost the generating industry in Pennsylvania an estimated $2.4 billion over ten years, wiping out thousands of high-paying energy jobs.
The tax will mainly impact coal fired plants, but some older natural gas fired plants will be hit as well, forcing many to shut their doors. Thousands of jobs in generation, mining, and downstream industries will disappear with them.
A state rich in affordable natural gas and coal would lose its crown as one of the leading exporters of electricity in the nation. All this for environmental benefits that remain largely a fantasy of anti-fossil fuel activists. In fact, many industry experts believe there will be no environmental benefit at all as the electricity generation will transfer to non-RGGI states that are a part of the PJM system. To read the full article, please visit Critical comment period opens in review of Wolf Administration’s plan to join RGGI
|
|
We encourage you to use the links below to contact your representatives and
build support around our pro-business efforts.
CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS:
2020 Legislation Enacted - PA General Assembly
|
|
CHESTER COUNTY COMMISSIONERS |
|
Chester County Commissioners - State of the County |
|
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the American Chemistry Council, and
the National Association of Manufacturers Call on President to
Sign Save Our Seas 2.0 Act
|
|
WASHINGTON D.C.— The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the American Chemistry Council, and the National Association of Manufacturers call on the President to sign the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act in short order.
|
|
How Trade, Immigration, and Global Supply Chains Will Defeat the Pandemic |
|
Amid a pandemic that has taken nearly 1.5 million lives worldwide, there’s light at the end of the tunnel: The imminent introduction of two COVID-19 vaccines, with more in the pipeline.
With government approval expected soon, the first people will receive the vaccines produced by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech and, separately, Moderna within weeks. A third vaccine, developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, may not be far behind.
These vaccines were produced in record time—beating all but the most optimistic of forecasts. How did this modern miracle of science come about?
|
|
PA CHAMBER OF BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY |
|
800 Taxpayers Affected by Glitch in PA’s Collection of Back State Taxes |
|
December 7 - Roughly 800 taxpayers who are on payment plans to pay back personal income taxes owed to the commonwealth saw double payments withdrawn from their bank accounts last week due to a glitch in a Pennsylvania Department of Revenue system. Revenue spokesman Jeff Johnson said instead of initiating one electronic transfer of funds from those taxpayers’ accounts, the department’s tax system double dipped. “Fortunately, we quickly recognized this issue and we have been working with the commonwealth’s financial institution to credit these accounts as quickly as possible,” Johnson said. He said taxpayers should see the issue resolved in the coming days. Meanwhile, he said the department will work with affected taxpayers to refund any fees that they were charged by their banking institutions for the department’s error. Taxpayers in this situation should call 717-425-2495, Ext. 72841 or send a message through the department’s Online Customer Service Center. Read the full article, 800 Taxpayers Affected by Glitch in PA’s Collection of Back State Taxes
|
|
Mortgage Industry Roars to Best Year Ever, Courtesy of the Fed |
|
December 7 - The Federal Reserve has handed U.S. mortgage lenders their best year ever. Nobody knows that better than Shant Banosian, the industry’s first billion-dollar salesperson. By his own count, the loan officer is personally set to originate a staggering $1.5 billion of home loans by year's end from his office outside of Boston, a record in a year of records for the mortgage business. Set alight by the Fed's low interest rates and bond purchases, the mortgage industry is on fire. Lenders this year are projected to originate $4.1 trillion of loans, eclipsing the 2003 high, thanks mostly to borrowers refinancing to reduce their house payments, according to Fannie Mae. With profit margins the widest on record, mortgage lenders are on a hiring spree and taking advantage of the pandemic housing boom to raise money from investors. At least nine have either gone public this year, such as Rocket Cos., or are planning to do so in coming months. But like all booms, this one won't last forever. By next year, mortgage volumes could decline by a third as refinancings drop, according to a Fannie Mae forecast. Even if rates stay flat, the number of homeowners motivated to lock in savings will decline. “Today’s market is like riding a giant rollercoaster — the higher it goes, the more dramatic the decline,” said Jim Cameron, senior partner with STRATMOR Group, a mortgage advisory firm based in Greenwood Village, Colo. “You could argue, when you know the rates will eventually turn and you’ll lay a bunch of people off, why hire? But quite frankly, the profits are there now.” For now, the industry is adding staff to handle all the business. Recruiters are in an all-out "firefight," Cameron said. Firms are offering signing bonuses to steal underwriters and processors from competitors or giving retention payments to keep them from leaving. Read the full article, Mortgage Industry Roars to Best Year Ever, Courtesy of the Fed
|
|
FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF PHILADELPHIA
ECONOMIC NEWS
|
|
December 4, 2020 - The Philadelphia Fed’s Tri-State Tracking series provides statewide summaries of economic conditions using monthly and quarterly data of employment, housing, and personal income. The latest update includes monthly data for employment, building permits, and mortgage delinquencies through October 2020; quarterly data for house prices through the third quarter of 2020; and personal income through the second quarter of 2020.
Read the reports:
|
|
Third Quarter 2020 Banking Brief |
|
December 2, 2020 - The Third Quarter 2020 Banking Brief, which analyzes recent trends and compares the performance of banks in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and the nation, has been released.
|
|
For more information from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, please visit: Philadephia Fed
|
|
PENNSYLVANIA MANUFACTURERS' ASSOCIATION (PMA) |
|
PMA PERSPECTIVE: 2nd Anniversary of your Janus Rights |
|
In this episode... PMA’s David N. Taylor interviews Nathan McGrath, President and General Counsel of the Fairness Center, on the 2nd anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Janus Decision and how Pennsylvanians are vindicating their Janus rights. |
|
For more information from Pennsylvania Manufacturer's Association, please visit: PMA
|
|
TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT
ASSOCIATION OF CHESTER COUNTY (TMACC)
|
|
PA Treasury Can Fund PennDOT Road and Bridge Projects Through June |
|
By shifting money into the Motor License Fund, the state Treasury will be able to cover the costs of ongoing road and bridge projects through the end of the fiscal year.
|
|
For more information from Transportation Management Association of Chester County, please visit: TMACC
|
|
SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (SBA) |
|
SBA Proposes Small Business Size Standard Revisions in Five Industrial Sectors; Change Aimed at Increasing Eligibility for Contracting and Loan Programs. Public Comments Due by Jan. 26, 2021 |
|
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Small Business Administration is seeking public comments on a proposed rule that would revise the small business size standards for businesses in five North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) sectors to increase small business eligibility for SBA’s loan and contracting programs.
Comments can be submitted on this proposed rule on or before Jan. 26, 2021 at www.regulations.gov, using the following RIN number: RIN 3245-AG88. You may also comment by mail to Khem R. Sharma, Chief, Size Standards Division, 409 3rd Street SW, Mail Code 6530, Washington, D.C., 20416.
|
|
SBA Announces Military Spouse Employment Partnership with
the Defense Department
|
|
“SBA proudly joins this partnership, which will strengthen our Agency’s dedication and support to the one million military spouses in our nation’s military community located around the world,” said SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza. “Military spouses are skilled, diverse, problem solvers, and we welcome their contributions to SBA.”
|
|
How to Apply for PPP Loan Forgiveness |
|
Did you take out a Paycheck Protection Program loan? Here are four steps to apply for forgiveness.
- Contact your lender and complete the form
- Compile documentation
- Submit the forgiveness form and documentation to your lender
- Communicate with your lender throughout the process
|
|
For more information from the U.S. Small Business Administration, please visit: US SBA
|
|
CHESTER COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION |
|
Parkesburg Partners with CCPC to Develop New Comprehensive Plan |
|
On October 19, the Borough of Parkesburg adopted a new comprehensive plan at their Borough Council Meeting through unanimous vote by Council. Development of their new plan was funded through cost-sharing between the Borough of Parkesburg and Chester County’s Vision Partnership Program (VPP), which provided 70% of the project’s funding. “The County Planning Commission was pleased to help Parkesburg map a future for the Borough that reflects the input of residents and businesses,” noted Community Planning Director, Susan Elks. Learn more.
|
|
Fall 2020 Planning Grants Awarded |
|
Comprehensive plan updates in East Brandywine Township, Highland Township, and Willistown Township, along with a Master Corridor Plan for West Lincoln Highway in Valley Township have been awarded funding of approximately $135,000 through the Vision Partnership Program this fall. East Brandywine Township will also update their Official Map as part of their project, maintaining consistency between their policies and an implementation ordinance. Congratulations to these four municipalities on their planning project awards! Learn more.
|
|
The U. S. Census Bureau reported that 2020 nation-wide census response rate was 67.0% while Pennsylvania’s response rate was 69.6%. Chester County’s response rate was 78.3%, exceeding the 2010 response rate of 75.6%. The U. S. Census is now tabulating and verifying the final results of the 2020 Census. By December 31, 2020, the Census Bureau expects to deliver apportionment counts to the President as required by law. This information is used to redraw legislative districts based on population changes. Although March 31, 2021 is the statutory date by which the redistricting counts were to be released to the states, COVID-related delays have caused the release to be tentatively rescheduled to July 31, 2021. This would effectively be the date when the information will be released to the public. More information on this still developing story is available from the Statement on 2020 Census Operational Adjustments (April 13, 2020) and the 2020 Census Operational Press Briefing (October 21, 2020).
|
|
For more information from the Chester County Planning Commission, please visit: Chesco Planning
|
|
|
|
8 Federal Road
Suite 1
West Grove, PA 19390
610-444-0774
Stay Connected!
|
|
Are you a Proud SCCCC Member?
Follow the link to upload the 2020 SCCCC PROUD Member Decal on your web page!
Show your pride in being a member of SCCCC!
Not yet a member but would like to learn more about us?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
