Wolf wants additional money for hazard pay

Governor’s request for CARES money irks some lawmakers

Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf on Thursday asked the Republican General Assembly to allocate

$225 million from the state's CARES Act reserve to extend his tapped-out hazard pay program for workers on the "front lines" of the COVID-19 pandemic -- a request that exasperated state Sen. Judy Ward, R-Blair.

"This governor makes unilateral decisions, then expects the General Assembly to pick up and jump on board," said Ward, a Republican. "The working relationship between the governor's office and the General Assembly has become very strained."

The previous $50 million hazard pay allocation paid for companies to add $3 an hour for essential workers for 10 weeks.

That initial allocation was needed, according to Ward.

But there's heavy competition for the $1 billion that remains in the reserve, and "we have to prioritize," she said.

Ward has sponsored a bill that calls for providing help to nonprofits, she said.

But "everybody is telling us they need more money," including hotels, restaurants, school districts and municipalities, she said. "It's going to be incredibly difficult."

State Rep. Jim Gregory, R-Hollidaysburg, regards the governor's request as hypocritical.

"He's asking for us to do something that is his idea, when he has yet to sit down with a single member of our House leadership and have a face-to-face discussion and sharing of ideas," Gregory said.

There was no scarcity of ideas from those House leaders on helping small businesses open sooner than they did after the initial closures and safely, Gregory said.

"Only to be rebuffed by this governor and his veto pen," Gregory added. "'Governor No.'"

State Rep. Lou Schmitt of Altoona is also Republican, but he had a different take.

"I'm fully supportive," Schmitt said. "(We need to) help out those who are sacrificing and not getting high compensation."

Those in the health care field who encounter people sick with COVID-19 have especially shown courage, Schmitt said.

"They are dealing with a virus we know little about," he said. "(They're) face-to-face with the killer."

Society can't do enough for them, he added.

Others working in essential jobs are also to be admired, he said.

"Not everybody who helps win the war carries a gun," he said.

"Gratitude and respect only goes so far," Wolf said. "(Essential workers) also need to be compensated."

The initial $50 million allocation helped 42,000 individuals, according to state Rep. Patty Kim of Dauphin County, who spoke during the webcast news conference during which Wolf floated his request for more money.

That allocation was better than nothing, Kim said. But it was so far short of demand that had every applicant been satisfied, the state would have needed to distribute $1 billion, she said.

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 949-7038.