Posted: | January 15, 2021 03:31 PM |
---|---|
From: | Senator Maria Collett and Sen. Timothy P. Kearney, Sen. Lindsey M. Williams |
To: | All Senate members |
Subject: | Suspending Legislative Per-Diem Pay through the COVID-19 Pandemic to Support Small Businesses |
In the near future, we will be introducing legislation to suspend per-diem payments to members of the General Assembly through the duration of the COVID-19 emergency declaration. All Pennsylvanians are being asked to sacrifice throughout the COVID-19 public health crisis. It is unconscionable that members of the General Assembly will continue to receive per diem payments while our Unemployment System is being tested in ways we’ve never seen before. This legislation will prohibit per diem payments to members of the General Assembly until the Governor’s Disaster Declaration related to COVID-19 has ended. This bill was previously introduced as SB 1283 in the 2019-2020 session. An additional provision will be added to ensure that unencumbered per-diem funds are transferred to the COVID-19 Relief Pennsylvania Small Business Assistance program quarterly.
Please join us in setting an example as public servants and freeing up hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer money that can be better invested in programs to aid struggling Pennsylvanians and Pennsylvania businesses by sponsoring this legislation.
. |
Introduced as SB639