Return of fiscal watchdog hawks

Not all species of hawks migrate but among those that do are the Deficit Hawks.

Fine-tuning election reform.

Creating a transparent system of redistricting with citizen involvement.

Working toward a consistent distribution method for COVID vaccine.

Improving education equity with fair schools funding reform.

Fixing unemployment compensation.

Providing adequate financial aid for the small businesses and restaurants of Pennsylvania.

These should be the priorities Pennsylvania lawmakers tackle as we remain in the grip of a pandemic and healing from a divisive election.

Instead, Republicans in the state Senate made their first order of business last week passage of a constitutional amendment proposal that would allow the General Assembly to override a governor’s emergency order after 21 days. The resolution would limit the governor’s power to extend an order, as Gov. Tom Wolf has done through the 10-month course of the pandemic.

The proposal was approved by the House as HB 55 on Wednesday and will go to the voters as a constitutional amendment referendum.

This legislative action does nothing to help older Pennsylvanians gain access to vaccine information or shots, nothing to help poorer school districts close the technology gap that is widening the inequities in education, and nothing to help struggling businesses pay their workers and hold on to their livelihoods.

The Republicans’ support for the proposed constitutional amendment makes clear that its intent is to blame Wolf for the economic issues Pennsylvania has faced — and continues to face — in this pandemic.

“Many of the problems that occurred during the response to COVID-19 were due to the governor’s exercise of unilateral authority,” wrote state Sen. Bob Mensch, R-24th Dist., in announcing the passage. “These problems included flawed guidance that negatively impacted long-term care settings, delayed Unemployment Compensation payments to displaced workers, and individual businesses and entire industries being shuttered longer than necessary.”

The economy remains in shambles with small-business owners taking on debt and facing closures. Even more devastating is the impact on the nearly 2.5 million people employed by small businesses, as their livelihoods are gone or threatened.

The Senate took steps to address that need on Wednesday, unanimously approving $900 million for schools and hospitality-related businesses hit hard by the coronavirus, as well as people struggling to pay rent or utility bills.

Most of the grant monies being directed by the bill are from Pennsylvania’s share of federal aid approved last month by Congress in a coronavirus recovery package.

Some of it, $145 million, is reserve cash from a worker’s compensation fund that Wolf last month had asked lawmakers to send to businesses hit hard by the pandemic.

The money would be available through counties in grants of up to $50,000 for owners of bars, restaurants and hotels, The Associated Press reported.

Representatives for bars and restaurant owners said the money is helpful for a little while, but it won’t reach many in Pennsylvania’s industry of more than 30,000 such businesses that are hurting and remain under pandemic restrictions.

“Once you start spreading that out, it doesn’t go very far,” said Chuck Moran, executive director of the Pennsylvania Licensed Beverage and Tavern Association. “It’s a start, don’t get me wrong. We’re appreciative and we support the bill, but more needs to be done financially,” AP reported.

The hardship continues for many Pennsylvanians, and legislative efforts must remain focused on remedying those hardships.

Owners of restaurants and other small businesses don’t need more divided debate on the shutdown orders of the past year — they need a boost that keeps them operating long enough for us to turn the corner on this pandemic.

Pennsylvania has real problems to solve. It’s time to get to work on those instead of wasting time on blame shifting. It’s time to get to work on meaningful change.