Wolf Vetoes Bill That Would Ease Restrictions On PA Restaurants
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HARRISBURG, PA — Gov. Tom Wolf has vetoed a bill that would have eased coronavirus restrictions for restaurants. According to the governor's veto statement, the bill would "endanger public health and safety" during the pandemic.
But according to the bill sponsor, Rep. Garth D. Everett (R-83), the legislation ensures restaurants and taverns could operate safely and be protected from "unconstitutional mandates" handed down from the Governor’s office.
The bill would have allowed restaurants to operate at 50 percent capacity. The legislation would have allowed restaurants to operate above 50 percent capacity indoors if following guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or if they had physical barriers.
The bill, which passed the Senate by a 43-6 vote and in the House by a 145-56 vote, would also have allowed businesses to resume bar service, which is currently restricted. It would have also eliminated the rule that a meal must be purchased in order to buy alcohol.
“I introduced this bill to help relieve our business owners of the arbitrary mandates issued by the governor," Everett said in a news release after it passed the House. “It is a shame and a scandal laying at the feet of the governor that over 91 percent of our restaurants have said they laid off or furloughed their employees since March. Walk down any small town in Pennsylvania and I wish you good luck in finding more than two or three mom-and-pop businesses that have survived the governor’s shutdown. This legislation is a common-sense step in the right direction toward a safe recovery."
But Gov. Wolf said the bill becoming law jeopardized public health and would open the door for additional spread of the coronavirus.
"If we do not promote health and safety measures that reduce the spread of COVID-19, there will be a resurgence of COVID-19 cases, thereby ending our successes, and risking our health and our lives," Wolf said in his veto message. He also noted the bill contained constitutional infirmities, "as it attempts to take away executive authority during the existing COVID-19 disaster emergency."
The legislation was supported by the Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association.
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This article originally appeared on the Across Pennsylvania Patch
