HARRISBURG – October 29, 2020 – Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa and Senate Democratic Appropriations Chair Senator Vincent Hughes and members of the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Caucus today slammed House and Senate Republicans for recessing the General Assembly until mid-November without passing legislation to drive out Pennsylvania’s remaining $1.3 billion in federal CARES funds to Pennsylvanians suffering the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.
Earlier this year, Pennsylvania received nearly $4 billion from the federal government’s Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act. In May, Democrats and Republicans worked together to drive out $2.6 billion of the federal funds to provide much needed aid to struggling Pennsylvanians. Since that time, Senate Democrats have strongly advocated for driving out the remaining $1.3 billion and released their own proposal for spending the remaining funding to provide additional relief. Unfortunately, Republican leadership in the House and Senate refused to act on another round of funding before recessing Oct. 21.
“It is unconscionable that Harrisburg Republicans would adjourn the General Assembly and leave town without acting on another round of CARES funding for Pennsylvania families and businesses,” Sen. Costa said. “For months Senate Democrats have been pressing for the release of the remaining $1.3 billion in CARES funds. I’d say House and Senate Republicans ignored us, but the reality is they ignored hurting Pennsylvania families. They ignored Pennsylvania’s small business owners that are hanging on by a thread. They ignored our hospitals, our schools, and our social service providers. Republican inaction is going to lead to more unnecessary suffering and lengthen Pennsylvania’s economic recovery. It’s shameful.”
“At a time when Pennsylvanians need real, bipartisan leadership, Harrisburg Republicans have failed miserably,” Sen. Hughes said. “House and Senate Republicans have been singularly focused on criticizing Governor Wolf for his handling of the pandemic, but when they had a chance to make an impact, they did nothing. They left $1.3 billion sitting in the state treasury and went home. Now, that money will sit there for weeks as more small businesses close, more child care providers struggle to stay afloat, and more families stay up at night wondering how they will pay their bills. It didn’t have to be this way.”
Similar inaction on a federal level has ended all talks of stimulus aid before the Nov. 3 election, leaving families, small businesses, front-line workers and many other vulnerable populations without much-needed aid. Costa and Hughes pointed to politically-motivated federal inaction and severely misplaced priorities by House and Senate Republicans, who the entire summer and fall politicizing the pandemic and Pennsylvania’s response to it rather than working with Democrats to drive out CARES funding.
“Throughout the summer and fall, we’ve watched House and Senate Republicans hold partisan hearings, pass politically-motivated legislation, and waste precious time on veto overrides that they knew would fail,” Sen. Costa said. “If they spent even a fraction of that time focused on helping people, I have no doubt we would have reached a consensus on spending the remaining $1.3 billion in CARES funds. Instead Republicans opted for political theatre.”
“All summer Republican Senators and Representatives stood at press conferences with small business owners and organized rallies to protest Pennsylvania’s response to the pandemic,” Sen. Hughes noted. “But when the press conferences and rallies ended, and the time came to help these same folks they claimed to be fighting for by driving out $1.3 billion, Republican legislators did nothing. They got their press release or their TV clip and the folks that stood with them were left without any help. Again. We cannot wait any longer to push out aid. Our plan must be on the agenda in November.”
The Senate Democrats again shared their plans in hopes that the Republican-controlled General Assembly would understand the immediate need of providing aid to vulnerable Pennsylvanians immediately. The Senate Democratic plan includes:
- $125 million for individual and family relief with utility bill assistance
- $575 million for business assistance, specifically for:
- Nonprofit assistance
- Main Street and Historically Disadvantaged Businesses
- Barbers, salons, personal care industry
- Tourism
- Bars, taverns, restaurants, private event spaces and hospitality
- $15 million food security
- $125 million for high Medicaid hospitals
- $141 million for higher education
- $75 million for child care
- $100 million for hazard pay in existing programs, and expanded programs for pharmacies
- $150 million for property tax relief
- $25 million for public safety
If you missed the press conference, you can watch the full event here. For more information on the Senate Democratic proposals for the first or second allocation of CARES funds, please visit pasenate.com/pacares.
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Harrisburg − October 16, 2020 − Members of the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Caucus today outlined a plan to spend the remaining $1.331 billion in CARES money that Pennsylvania received as part of a federal assistance package earlier this year.
The money must be spent by December 31st on COVID-19 related needs or the state loses the authority to use it at all.
“When we passed our original spending plan for these dollars, we withheld a portion of our allocation to see where what would happen with COVID-19 through the summer and fall. We waited for more assistance from the federal government that never came. Washington has failed but here in PA, we have found that families, small businesses, and many other institutions need additional assistance for recovery,” said Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa, Jr. “We’ve been allocated these funds to help with recovery; it’s time to spend them. Folks need help now. I urge our Republican colleagues to add this to the agenda for our session days next week.”
“We are a long way from recovering what has been lost during the pandemic and sitting on $1.3 billion does nothing to help people who are hurting right now,” Sen. Hughes said. “We must drive dollars out to our existing and proven methods of distributing CARES funding immediately. Our families, workers, small businesses owners, and so many others are still struggling to get through this pandemic. They do not have the luxury of a wait-and-see approach, which is why we must act now. Furthermore, we need the federal government to enact a spending plan that helps states do more to help the people through the greatest crisis of our lifetimes.”
The Senate Democratic plan includes:
- $125 million for individual and family relief with utility bill assistance
- $575 million for business assistance, specifically for:
- Nonprofit assistance
- Main Street and Historically Disadvantaged Businesses
- Barbers, salons, personal care industry
- Tourism
- Bars, taverns, restaurants, private event spaces and hospitality
- $15 million food security
- $125 million for high Medicaid hospitals
- $141 million for higher education
- $75 million for child care
- $100 million for hazard pay in existing programs, and expanded programs for pharmacies
- $150 million for property tax relief
- $25 million for public safety
For more information on the Senate Democratic proposals for the first or second allocation of CARES funds, please visit https://www.pasenate.com/pacares/
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Statewide, Pa. – August 10, 2020 – The Pennsylvania CDFI Network and the PA State Senator Democrats today announced $96 million in grant awards under the COVID-19 Relief Pennsylvania Statewide Small Business Assistance program. The small businesses that have been approved for awards span all 67 Pennsylvania counties.
“These grants and the relief they will provide are testament to what we can do when we prioritize the right initiatives,” said Sen. Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery). “It is because of collaboration and a collective focus that today we were able to deliver help to the auto body shops, the barbershops, the beauticians, the pizza shop owners, the soul food establishments and other businesses across the commonwealth. And though we are gathering today virtually to recognize the positive impact these grants will have, it is critical to understand that there is still a great deal of need and must continue to direct resources and aid to our small business community to help it recover from the devastation of the pandemic.”
The program is part of $225 million in statewide relief championed by the senate democratic caucus in June to support small businesses economically impacted by the pandemic. The first application round drew a strong response with nearly 24,000 applications.
“We’ve seen the impact of this pandemic-fueled economic crisis on the small businesses in our communities and in the immense response to the program in the first round of applications,” said Daniel Betancourt, President & CEO of Community First Fund and Chair of the PA CDFI Network. “The PA CDFI Network is grateful for the partnership of Governor Wolf and the Pennsylvania Legislature as we move quickly to get these resources into the hands of those most impacted by the crisis.”
Of the close to 5,000 small businesses approved in the first round of funding, 50% are historically disadvantaged businesses that have traditionally experienced discrimination when seeking financial services and financial products. Over 2,400 of the businesses are also in communities targeted for business investment by state government programs like Main Street and Elm Street.
“I could not be more proud or more grateful for the great work of DCED and Pennsylvania’s CDFI Network in delivering substantive, fair, equitable, need-based assistance to our state’s main street and historically disadvantaged small businesses. Our program design and the accountability it provides to taxpayers and to our federal funders is a model for the nation,” Senator Blake (D-Lackawanna) said. “I appeal to the US Congress and to our colleagues on both sides of the aisle in Harrisburg to recognize the success of this program in assisting small businesses devastated by the pandemic and to invest further in the program so we can help even more of them.”
The program has targeted getting grants to small businesses with the greatest need and to be eligible to apply businesses had to have less than $1M in revenue and less than 25 employees. Grants ranged in size from $5,000 to $50,000 based on the revenue size of the business. More than 2,300 of the grantee business owners are low-moderate income.
“Our business community has been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and is in need of immediate assistance. The grant program is targeted to help small businesses manage costs, handle expenses, and stay in operation in this exceptionally difficult time,” said Senator Brewster (D-Allegheny). “Since COVID struck our state and debilitated our business community, I have been advocating for bridge grants and sought millions in aid for impacted businesses and workers. The small business assistance grants are one of the tools we can use to bolster business, maintain jobs and help workers at a time of immense distress.”
More than two thirds of the approved awardees are women-owned businesses and 16 percent located in rural communities. The businesses represent industries that have been especially hard hit by the pandemic including retail, food and hospitality, health and wellness, and personal care.
| Industry |
Applications Approved |
Amount (Millions) |
| Restaurants & Other Eating Places |
1,608 |
$25.80
|
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
202 |
$4.63
|
| Personal Care Services |
1,001 |
$24.52
|
| Other Amusement and Rec. Industries |
180 |
$3.46
|
| Totals |
2,991 |
$58.41
|
“For minority and women-owned businesses in Pennsylvania COVID-19 didn’t create a crisis, it laid bare the crisis our minority entrepreneurs have been facing for decades,” House Democratic Finance Committee Chairman Jake Wheatley Jr (D-Allegheny) said. “While I’m glad to see the positive impact of these grants and I urge all local community businesses to apply for the next round of grants, we need to expand investment in programs like this because it’s long past time for the legislature to address the systemic flaws that are leaving too many marginalized people behind.”
The second grant application window for the relief funds opened today, August 10, and will remain open for 15 business days closing at 11:59PM on August 28.
“Our small business owners need our help and support,” said state Rep. Carolyn Comitta, D-Chester. “After limited or even no sales due to the virus for almost five months, it would be unfair to let them suffer alone without any intervention. These grants give our small businesses hope and, I am here with my democratic colleagues to provide them whatever help they need to address this pandemic. Our business owners, their employees, and their families deserve our assistance.”
In order to get funds to businesses in need as quickly as possible, the second application window will be the final opportunity to apply for the program. Qualified applicants not awarded in the first round do not need to reapply and will be rolled into the next round for consideration.
Eligible small businesses can apply online at pabusinessgrants.com or through any one of the 17 Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) that are part of the Pennsylvania CDFI Network.
Summary_Round1
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About the PA CDFI Network
The PA CDFI Network is a coalition of 17 PA-based community development financial institutions that primarily provide financing options for small businesses. The members of the coalition are as follows:
The Progress Fund (Counties Served: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Blair, Butler, Cambria, Cameron, Centre, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Fayette, Forest, Fulton, Greene, Huntingdon, Indiana, Jefferson, Lawrence, Lycoming, McKean, Mercer, Potter, Somerset, Tioga, Venango, Warren, Washington, Westmoreland)
Bridgeway Capital (Counties Served: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Clarion, Crawford, Erie, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Mercer, Venango, Washington, Westmoreland)
Northside Community Development Fund (Counties Served: Allegheny, Beaver, Greene, Lawrence, Washington)
Metro Action (Counties Served: Carbon, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, Schuylkill, Susquehanna, Wayne, Wyoming)
Rising Tide Community Loan Fund (Counties Served: Bradford, Bucks, Carbon, Columbia, Lehigh, Monroe, Northampton)
ASSETS (Counties Served: Berks, Juniata, Lancaster, Mifflin, Snyder, York)
Community First Fund (Counties Served: Adams, Berks, Chester, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, Perry, Philadelphia, York)
Reinvestment Fund (Counties Served: All Counties)
PIDC Community Capital (Counties Served: Philadelphia)
Impact Loan Fund (Counties Served: Montgomery, Montour, Northumberland, Philadelphia)
Beech Capital (Counties Served: Bucks, Chester, Dauphin, Delaware, Erie, Montgomery, Philadelphia, York)
West Philadelphia Financial Services Institution (Counties Served: Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia)
Enterprise Center Capital (Counties Served: Berks, Bucks, Chester, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia)
Neighborhood Progress Fund (Counties Served: Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia)
Entrepreneur Works (Counties Served: Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia)
Women’s Opportunities Resource Center (Counties Served: Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Wyoming)
United Bank (Counties Served: Blair, Bucks, Cambria, Chester, Delaware, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Montgomery, Philadelphia, Union)
The members of the Executive Committee of the network are:
- Daniel Betancourt, Community First Fund — Chair
- James Burnett, West Philadelphia Financial Services Institution — Vice Chair
- Lynne Cutler, Women’s Opportunities Resource Center (WORC) — Vice Chair
- Leslie Benoliel, Entrepreneur Works — Treasurer
- Mark Masterson, Northside Community Development Fund — Secretary
- Chris Hudock, Rising Tide Loan Fund — Assistant Treasurer
Harrisburg – June 30, 2020 – Pennsylvania Senate Democrats gathered in the Capitol and through Zoom to discuss the status of their legislative agenda for police reforms, and to announce a statewide Racial Equity Solutions Tour.
PA Senate Democrats introduced a comprehensive package of law enforcement reform legislation on June 10, and in the past two weeks of session have made major progress on their legislative initiatives.
Bills sent to the Governor
HB 1841
- Creates a requirement for incoming police officer applicants to permit for the release of all employment information from previous law enforcement departments.
- Require law enforcement agencies to retain records of disciplinary actions taken against them.
- Requires MPOETC to set up a separations database that will be accessible to all law enforcements departments to search when hiring a new officer
- If a law enforcement agency hires an officer with a separation record that includes offenses such as use of excessive force, harassment, theft, discrimination, sexual offense, coercion, or false reports that agency will have to report back to the commission with a justification on why it hired to officer.
- Hiring reports will be subject to the Right to Know Act.
HB 1910
- Provides for new training for police officers on the use of force, including deadly force, de-escalation and harm reduction techniques, and instruction in community and cultural awareness, implicit bias, procedural justice and reconciliation techniques as developed by the commission.
- Requires that law enforcement officers undergo mental health exams after use of force incidents and creates procedures for working with officers that have PTSD.
Bills sent to the House
SB 459
- Requires that law enforcement agencies record and maintain records of police officers that use force that leads to serious bodily injury.
- Further requires that the use of force reports be reported to the MPOETC.
- The State Police are required to compile aggregate data regarding the use of force reports and make reports to the Legislature on an annual basis.
SB 1205
- Requires that law enforcement agencies develop and adopt use of force policies based on state or national best practices.
- The use of force policy must contain a ban on chokeholds
“As a former law enforcement officer, I understand the pressure that our police officers are under, and I know that we can make common sense reforms to our justice system to make it better and improve its outcomes,” said Senator Costa. “Today’s accomplishments are just a piece of the law enforcement reforms that our caucus and our constituents believe are necessary. Our efforts will not cease.”
As local, national, and worldwide demonstrations began over the killing of George Floyd, the Senate Democrats renewed their commitment to police reform, and have committed to legislative solutions to achieve police reform and racial equity in Pennsylvania.
Costa also said that he was very proud of the passage of House Bill 1841 through the Senate today. The bill would require that MPOETC (Municipal Police Officers’ Education and Training Commission) establish and maintain an electronic database containing the separation records that is accessible to all law enforcement agencies in the Commonwealth.
“We do have systemic racism in this county, and in this state. As a legislative body, we need to commit to dismantling the systems that have allowed Black people to be overpoliced, unfairly targeted, and over incarcerated for generations,” said Sen. Anthony H. Williams (D- Philadelphia/Delaware).
Williams also announced that he will be leading the Senate Democrats in a statewide Racial Equity Solutions Tour.
Caucus members will hold conversations, both in-person adhering to CDC guidelines and virtually, throughout the summer in addition to lending their voices to protests and events organized by community leaders.
“We have had enough listening. We know the systemic issues that Black people and Black communities face, this is a tour to gather actionable solutions for change,” Williams said.
Senate Bill 1205, a ban on chokeholds by police, was sponsored by Sen. Sharif Street (D- Philadelphia), and was also passed out of the Senate unanimously last week.
“There is no silver bullet to fix policing in America. While we’re encouraged by the advance of a variety of policy around police reform, I and my colleagues in the Senate Democratic Caucus are committed to a comprehensive package of reforms that reimagine public safety while investing in areas better suited to serve the diverse needs of our communities. This means the community must be a part of the conversation as we work to address the historic inequities and disparities in government,“ Street said.
It was also noted that the Senate was able to send House Bill 1910 to the Governor today, ensuring increased education and training for Pennsylvania law enforcement when they handle those with diverse backgrounds, victims of child abuse, and how to treat fellow officers experiencing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
“The issues we want to address with this tour are not new, however there appears to be growing momentum coming from genuine and concerted desires to understand and rectify the longstanding issues our nation has never fully addressed,” said Sen. Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery). “We must seize this moment and enact real policies and protections in Pennsylvania that address racism and systemic inequities in the commonwealth. The movement of these legislative initiatives shows that people are fed up with police abuse. They have shown that protest and civic engagement works. We ask that they not stop, and that they keep on marching.”
“I have been proud to attend multiple peaceful protests for racial justice in Hummelstown, Selinsgrove, Wilkes-Barre, Cheltenham, and Philadelphia. Black Lives Matter protestors have created a moment for change that we must seize to end systemic racism and police brutality,” Haywood said.
Sen. Katie Muth (D-Berks/Chester/Montgomery) spoke about her ‘No Consent in Custody’ legislation, Senate Bill 851. Muth’s legislation had been added as an amendment to HB 256.
“Additional legislative action is needed to ensure true reform to our policing practices here in Pennsylvania,” said Senator Katie Muth. “While the recent action in both the House and Senate is a step in the right direction, the General Assembly must work urgently to pass much needed reform to ensure accountability and transparency in the police system, invest in historically oppressed communities, end systemic racism and police brutality. We have a lot of work to do, and this work is long overdue.”
“We have made important steps on the long road to justice by moving police reforms through the General Assembly in recent weeks. This statewide tour is another step on that road,” said Senator Tim Kearney (D-Delaware/Chester). “We are going to have community-driven discussions that focus on solutions to end systemic racism and reimagine public safety. I am hopeful the tour will lead to meaningful action, because this moment in history offers us a real chance to live up to our ideals and meet the promise of liberty and justice for all.”
For the full list of Senate Democratic Police Reform bills, visit pasenate.com/reform.
To follow the statewide Solutions Tour for Racial equity, visit senatoranthonyhwilliams.com.
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HARRISBURG – June 8, 2020 – Members of the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Caucus announced the direction of $225 million in federal CARES Act funding to aid small businesses across the commonwealth. This funding was authorized by the recently enacted COVID-19 Emergency Supplement to the General Appropriation Act of 2019 and was a centerpiece of the caucus’ PA CARES Plan.
The aid will be distributed as follows: $100 million is set to go to the Main Street Business Revitalization Program, $100 million to the Historically Disadvantaged Business Revitalization Program, and $25 million for loan payment deferment and loss reserves for loans impacted by COVID-19. The aid will be directed by the Department of Community and Economic Development to Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI), which are intimately familiar with the needs of the most vulnerable small businesses in our communities.
“I want to thank Governor Wolf for engaging leadership in the General Assembly to inform the process of moving federal aid out to those who have been most harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic. I also want to thank the leadership of the Senate Democratic caucus who worked with our members to formulate a strategic plan for the deployment of nearly $4 billion in federal assistance,” said state Senator John Blake (D-Lackawanna). “The Main Street Business Revitalization program is a reflection of that cooperation and leadership and it will meet Pennsylvania’s small business owners where they are, on Main Street, after nearly three months of lost or no sales. It will enable small business owners throughout the commonwealth to meet their insurance payments, rents, health insurance premiums, local taxes and other expenses that they otherwise could not meet due to lost sales. Finally, I want to thank the 17 CDFIs throughout the state as well as DCED for their professionalism, agility, urgency and dedication to getting this federal funding to the small businesses who need it most as quickly as possible.”
Eligible businesses will apply through one of the CDFI Network partners and will have to have been operating on or before February 15, 2020, and must have paid taxes to state and federal governments. Qualifying main street and historically disadvantaged small businesses must have 25 or fewer employees and experienced losses as a result of Gov. Tom Wolf’s March 19 stay-at-home order. Organizations seeking grants from the historically disadvantaged small businesses program must also be 51 percent owned and managed by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals.
“The announcement of the Main Street and Historically Disadvantaged Business Revitalization Programs will provide welcomed relief for mom and pop businesses in neighborhoods across the commonwealth,” said State Senator Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery). “Since this pandemic began, we have heard the needs of the auto body shops, the barbershops, the beauticians, the pizza shop owners, the soul food establishments and other businesses in our communities. The needs of these businesses that were unable to get much needed help from other state and federal programs were a priority in our Senate Democratic Caucus’ April 29 PA CARES Program announcement. For months, my office has worked with a network of trusted community organizations that have a proven track record of working with our small CDFIs to find a solution to assist our neighborhood businesses. I believe these programs are that solution. There is still more work to be done, but these programs are a win for Pennsylvania and its small businesses.”
Businesses will be eligible for up to $50,000 in grants. Grants can be used to cover operating expenses during the shutdown and in the transition period to reopening, technical assistance and training, debt payment relief for CDFI borrowers and loan loss reserves.
“Our small businesses all across the state made sacrifices so that we could flatten the curve of COVID-19 and save lives,” said Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa, Jr. “Now as we begin to recover, our businesses will need and deserve assistance to reopen their doors, rehire their staff and serve our communities again. We thank them for their patience through this difficult time, and are ready to offer the programs, loans and assistance they need.”
Businesses will be required to submit proposals for review documenting sales losses, projected revenues, the duration of closure as a result of COVID-19, and relief receipts for other federal, state and local government aid. Eligible businesses will apply directly through a local CDFI.
“One of the goals of the pandemic-recovery stimulus plan that I offered in March, was to jump-start business operations and speed the economic recovery by making resources readily available to get more men and women back to work quicker,” Brewster said. “Using federal CARE dollars to bolster business and smooth the back-to-work transition is critically important. The caucus CARES initiative includes one piece of the plan and will be especially useful to small businesses as they cover expenses and manage start-up costs. Plus, it will usher in help for small businesses who may not have been able to access other state or federal business assistance programs.”
Distributed funds will be monitored by DCED to track the total number of grants awarded under these programs including county, the number of jobs saved by the grants, the total amount of loan payment and deferment, administrative costs and more.
“Thank you to Governor Wolf and his administration for recognizing the need for our Main Street Business Revitalization Program and incorporating that proposal into the Commonwealth’s plan to support our small businesses, which represent nearly half of the private sector workforce in Pennsylvania – 2.5 million jobs,” said Senator Iovino (D-Allegheny/Washington). “Small businesses are the job creators in our communities, the revenue generators for our Commonwealth, and the cornerstone of vibrant main streets. As small business owners are struggling to hang on, this $225 million grant package is exactly the kind of lifeline that these economic drivers need to support our recovery.”
For more about the caucus’ comprehensive, people-focused COVID-19 recovery plan, visit pasenate.com/pacares.
