An update on COVID-19 actions by the PA Legislature and Wolf administration

Gov. Wolf Announces Staffing Changes

Gov. ​Tom Wolf announced that Mike Brunelle will step down as chief of staff, a position he has served in since 2017, to take a job with the private sector. Elena Cross, deputy chief of staff to the governor, will assume the role of chief of staff on June 26. 

Before joining the Wolf administration, Cross served on Gov.-elect Tom Wolf’s transition committee. Working with the Wolf campaign and other campaigns and stakeholders across the commonwealth, Cross was the executive director of Campaign for a Fresh Start in 2014.

Previously, Cross was the executive director of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party. Before that, she held other roles at the Pennsylvania Democratic Party and the House Democratic Campaign Committee. Cross began her political career working on campaigns in Pennsylvania and New Hampshire. Cross is from State College and attended Penn State University​, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science.

The governor also announced that Jen Swails will step down as budget secretary to take a job with the private sector. Gregory Thall, special advisor to the budget secretary, will assume the role of budget secretary on July 31. 

Thall has spent more than a dozen years in various capacities working on behalf of the citizens of Pennsylvania, most recently as special advisor to the budget secretary, where he has served since December 2016.

Prior to his work in the Office of the Budget, he served as deputy general counsel in the Governor’s Office of General Counsel and was senior transition adviser to the Wolf transition team. He also held the position of deputy chief counsel to the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Caucus, under the chairmanship of Sen. Vincent Hughes.

Earlier in his career, Thall was the assistant director of government relations for the Pennsylvania State Education Association.

For additional information, see a copy of the news release here. 

PA Legislative Session 

The PA Legislature is expected to finalize the FY 2021-22 budget this evening. The total spend is approximately $38.8 billion. About $1.04 billion in federal dollars will supplement the $38.8 billion, and approximately $4.5 billion comes from one-time revenue sources. 

Education spending increased by $300 million, and $40 million will be allocated  to the state’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit program. Most programs were level-funded, aside from programs within the Department of Human Services. 

A significant portion of the American Rescue Plan Act money will be placed in the Rainy Day Fund in anticipation of future underperforming revenues. 

The General Fund bill is SB 255 and the Fiscal Code bill, which implements the spending plan, is HB 1348. HB 952 is the tax code and SB 381 is the school code. HB 336 is the administrative code. 

Aside from budget-related legislation, the House and Senate considered bills related to Workers' Compensation, agritourism liability, vaccine passports and vehicle emissions. 

Specific to health care, the General Assembly considered bills related to prior authorization and step therapy, telemedicine, insurance-related issues, the Patient Test Result Information Act and abortion. 

Once the budget is finalized, the House and Senate will break for summer recess and return in mid-September. 

2021 House Session Schedule:

June           28, 29, 30
September  13, 14, 15, 27, 28, 29
October       4, 5, 6, 25, 26, 27
November    8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17
December     13, 14, 15

2021 Senate Session Schedule:

June                28, 29, 30

For more information on the PA Legislature, see the Legislature's website.

Wolf Administration / Legislature: 

• Department of Health: Newborn Screening and Follow-Up Technical Advisory Board 
• Department of Human Services: Addition of two coronavirus (COVID-19) antigen laboratory test codes to the Medical Assistance (MA) Program Fee Schedule
• Department of Health: Department Of Health Lifting Universal Masking Order On June 28, Urging Pennsylvanians To Follow Mask-Wearing Guidance Where Required

News & Views from Around the State: 

• York Dispatch: York County gymnast Addison Fatta to compete in U.S. Olympic Team Trials this weekend
• Center Square: Pipelines deliver the energy that powers Pennsylvania – and the U.S. 
• The Times: Shell begins ‘steam blowing’ at Beaver County cracker plant
• Philly Voice: Fauci speaks at Penn Medicine event, addresses youth mental health and COVID-19 vaccines 
• GoErie.com: Pa. lawmakers, Wolf close to budget deadline: 5 things to watch 
• The Sentinel: Whatever can be done to help health care workers cope must be done 

State Resources: 

• Sign up for AlertPA, a text notification system for health, weather and other important alerts like COVID-19 updates from commonwealth agencies. 
• Commonwealth of PA Updates
• PA DOH Updates
• Gov. Wolf Life-sustaining Business Order (issued 3/19)
• DCED Order / Business FAQs (issued 3/20/20; updated 5/31/2021)
• PA DCED COVID-19 Working Capital Access Program administered by PIDA to provide critical working capital financing to PA small businesses adversely impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak

Federal Resources: 

• Department of Homeland Security CISA Essential Business Memo and Guidelines (issued 3/19)
• U.S. Department of Labor Guidance on Employee Wages, Hours and Leave
• U.S. Department of Homeland Security CISA INSIGHTS Risk Management for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)
• CDC Resources including video, fact sheets, posters, tools and resources available for use and distribution

Please note, the information provided in this correspondence does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; instead, all information, content, and summaries provided are for general informational purposes only.