PA House takes on Russia, invests in freedom, manages waived regulations, extends bridge disaster declaration

HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania House of Representatives had a successful week by tackling issues of importance to Pennsylvanians and the rest of the free world by taking on Russia by divesting Commonwealth financial assets from Russian investments while investing in freedom by leading on energy independence, House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff (R-centre/mifflin) said Wednesday.

A package of bills advanced by the House to divest the Commonwealth from Russian assets and reassert Pennsylvania's role in energy leadership and American energy independence is poised for final passage when the House next returns to session.

“Pennsylvania can and should join the rest of the free world in marginalizing Russia's ability to expand its sphere of influence and continue its horrific unprovoked aggression in Ukraine. The first step in bringing economic damage to Russia must be getting Commonwealth assets out of Russia; second, we must also hit Russia where it means the most—in its budget that is literally fueled by its oil and gas industry,” Benninghoff said.

“The Pennsylvania House of Representatives this week, led by the House Republican Caucus, took significant progress toward that goal and joined the rest of the world in seeking to economically marginalize Russia, President Vladimir Putin and his oligarch allies.”

In addition, the House continued to manage the hundreds of regulations waived and suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic by extending many of the waivers and suspensions through the end of June.

“If regulations can be waived or suspended for two years, it begs to ask should these suspensions be made permanent,” Benninghoff stated. “We are constantly examining the remaining regulatory waivers and suspensions to determine how we can continue to best manage our current regulatory environment and have a government that works for Pennsylvanians, prioritizes our economic growth, and ensures access to critical health care services.”

Also, taking on the responsibility of managing disaster declarations, the House of Representatives extended the disaster declaration relative to the collapse of the Forbes Avenue bridge that occurred in Pittsburgh in January.

“The General Assembly is taking on the role given by Pennsylvania voters to manage ongoing disaster emergencies,” Benninghoff said. “We are working in collaboration with the Wolf administration and the federal government to manage the Forbes Avenue bridge collapse as we continue to prioritize smart investments in infrastructure.”

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives returns to voting session on April 11.