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All county ZIP codes report fewer than 100 new COVID-19 cases this week

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Pennsylvania working to combat COVID-19 vaccine misinformation

WILKES-BARRE &mdash; U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright and several members of the Pennsylvania Congressional delegation have urged House leadership to include provisions from the RESTAURANTS Act in the COVID-19 relief package being developed in Congress.
				Small and independently owned restaurants and their employees are among the hardest hit by this pandemic, and this legislation would provide aid to meet their unique needs and ensure they can survive this crisis.
				&ldquo;Northeastern Pennsylvania&rsquo;s restaurant and hospitality businesses are part of what makes our area so special,&rdquo; said Cartwright, D-Moosic. &ldquo;They are where we all come together to catch up with old friends, sample some great locally brewed beer, or celebrate special occasions, and we should make sure they can survive through to the end of this crisis. Let&rsquo;s provide support to both the restaurants and the hardworking Americans they employ.&rdquo;
				Cartwright said the pandemic has imposed a whole host of new challenges and disadvantages for restaurant and hospitality businesses. They face added expenses for PPE and revenue losses due to the need for social distancing and a limited ability to provide outdoor dining options in the winter months.
				The RESTAURANTS Act would create a $120 billion restaurant revitalization fund at the U.S. Department of Treasury to provide grants to independent restaurants, small restaurant chains, and catering firms. The aid could be used to cover most expenses, including payroll, benefits, mortgage, rent, utilities, food, debt obligations to suppliers, and more.
				Boback: Bill passes allowing National
				Guard to establish vaccination sites
				Rep. Karen Boback, R-Harveys Lake, announced the bipartisan passage of House Bill 326 from the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee, as well as its passage by the House.
				House Bill 326 calls on the National Guard to help establish and operate COVID-19 vaccination sites.
				&ldquo;As I have expressed through press conferences, in committee meetings and on the House floor, this is important legislation to the Commonwealth, to be able to provide Pennsylvanians with a vaccination distribution plan with the help of the Pennsylvania National Guard,&rdquo; Boback said.
				&ldquo;This bill would provide a critical tool for the Commonwealth, allowing a distribution plan to be established, with a report back to the General Assembly in place so that Pennsylvania no longer sits at the bottom of the pack among states in vaccine distribution. With the COVID-19 vaccination program ramping up throughout the state, we have no more time to spare and must have a fortified plan in place to achieve the mission.&rdquo;
				Casey, colleagues urge investments
				in home/community-based services
				Thirty-one U.S. Senators, led by Senators Bob Casey, D-Scranton, and Cory Booker. D-New Jersey, are urging the Biden Administration to push forward with investments in home and community-based services (HCBS), building on President Biden&rsquo;s American Rescue Plan and Build Back Better Jobs and Recovery plan.
				Senators Casey, Booker and their colleagues sent a letter to President Biden and Vice President Harris, detailing their support for these plans to fight the effects of COVID-19 and bolster the economy, emphasizing the urgent need to advance the Administration&rsquo;s proposal to invest in Medicaid home and community-based services.
				The Senators wrote:
				&ldquo;As a critical component of your Build Back Better Plan, this investment in HCBS would create a robust care-giving system, while also driving sustainable economic growth and meeting the health care needs of our Nation&rsquo;s rapidly aging population. It would help propel the country&rsquo;s economy out of the pandemic-induced recession by increasing employment and enabling those receiving services to participate in their communities. It would transform low-paid care-giving jobs into family-sustaining occupations with higher wages, benefits and the opportunity to join a union. These outcomes would also advance racial and gender equity, given that the care-giving profession is disproportionately supported by Black women, other women of color and immigrants. Finally, such an investment would support people with disabilities, older adults and family caregivers with the supports they need to live the lives they wish to lead.&rdquo;
				Earlier this year, Sen. Casey introduced the COVID HCBS Relief Act of 2021, which would provide a 10 percent Federal Medical Assistance Percentages (FMAP) increase to states to be used to enhance HCBS &mdash; funds can be used to support front-line workers with increased pay, paid sick and family medical leave and personal protective equipment, among other essential supports.
				Since March 2020, Sen. Casey has also introduced three other bills to invest in HCBS. Seniors and people with disabilities are uniquely vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus; people with developmental disabilities have died from COVID-19 at a rate of three times higher than the general population.
				Currently, more than 800,000 people nationwide are waiting to receive HCBS, with nearly 16,000 in Pennsylvania.
				Toomey: Democrats choose liberal
				wish list over Bipartisan COVID relief
				U.S. Senator Pat Toomey, R-Lehigh Valley, Friday delivered a floor speech on the Democrats&rsquo; $1.9 trillion spending bill.
				During his speech, Senator Toomey said:
				&ldquo;Just a few weeks into office, and the president and our Democratic colleagues seem to be abandoning what had consistently been overwhelmingly bipartisan, successful, major responses to this COVID crisis. And now, it seems they are on a one-party, partisan track to pass a bunch of their liberal wish list items, much of which has nothing to do with the circumstances we face.
				&ldquo;The fact is, what we ought to be working on is maximizing the speed of vaccinations and ensuring that we return our economy to allow people to get back to work so that we can have the prosperity that we had before the pandemic struck.
				&ldquo;What we shouldn&rsquo;t be doing is using the pandemic as the excuse to pass a longstanding partisan policy wish list.&rdquo;
				Sen. Toomey said he is also likely to offer an amendment to the Democrats&rsquo; budget proposal based on his Stop Dangerous Sanctuary Cities Act. This amendment would facilitate the targeting of dangerous sanctuary city policies that forbid local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities, even when they wish to do so.
				Rep. Meuser named Republican
				leader of key House committee
				U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Dallas, has been named as the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Tax, and Capital Access for the Small Business Committee in the 117th Congress.
				Meuser also has been selected to serve on the Subcommittee on Contracting and Infrastructure and the Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Regulations:
				&ldquo;As the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Tax, and Capital Access this Congress, I look forward to fighting for small businesses across the country, many of which have suffered from unfair treatment over the past year due to arbitrary lock-downs,&rdquo; Meuser said. &ldquo;To mitigate the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, I am committed to removing red tape, improving access to capital, and working with the Small Business Administration to make the Paycheck Protection Program as available and workable for those businesses that need it to survive.&rdquo;
				Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-Missouri, said the committee is comprised of Republican Members from all backgrounds with one common goal &mdash; to allow the country&rsquo;s small businesses to safely open their doors once again.
				In Congress, the ranking member is the most senior (though not necessarily the longest-serving) member of the minority party on a committee (or subcommittee). The ranking member typically oversees minority committee staff and may coordinate involvement of the minority party committee members in committee activities.

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Cartwright pushes for restaurant/hospitality industry relief