Public Policy

Legislation under consideration in the PA House of Representatives would require that agendas for public meetings be posted on agency websites at least 24 hours prior to the meeting. With a few exceptions, items not on the published agenda could not be voted upon. The Chamber’s Board of Directors recently expressed support for the bill.…

The PA Chamber unveiled a new study last week, “Pennsylvania: A 21st Century Tax Code for the Commonwealth,” that presents a comparative analysis of the state’s tax structure with other states and provides a menu of policy options to improve Pennsylvania’s tax system and overall competitiveness. Compiled by the Tax Foundation and funded via a grant…

From PA Chamber of Business & Industry Throughout 2018, Pennsylvania has seen positive economic gains as a result of federal reforms to the nation’s tax structure and regulatory environment. These pro-business changes have helped to strengthen not only the Commonwealth’s competitiveness, but the nation’s as a whole; which has had the ripple effect of increasing employer confidence…

From PA Chamber of Business & Industry As the public comment period on the Wolf administration’s proposed overtime rules drew to a close last week, a group of 15 Republican state lawmakers sent a letter to the state’s Independent Regulatory Review Commission that called the changes an “administrative nightmare” for employers. “Employers of all types…

From PA Chamber of Business & Industry PA Chamber President Gene Barr participated last week in a roundtable discussion with U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey for a dialogue about federal trade policies impacting businesses in the Commonwealth.  In addition to Barr, the event – which was held at the PA Manufacturers Association’s offices in Harrisburg –…

President Donald Trump held a rally Aug. 2 in Wilkes-Barre, where he touted his “America First” trade policy that has included the imposition of tariffs on a variety of goods from countries with which the United States has traditionally enjoyed a strong trade partnership, including Canada and Mexico.   These tariffs have prompted approximately $75 billion worth…

The PA Chamber issued a response last week to new guidelines unveiled by the Wolf administration regarding how opioids are prescribed in workers’ compensation cases.  The guidelines were issued as part of an Executive Order the governor signed in lieu of a far more effective prescription drug formulary bill. In a news release, Gov. Tom Wolf said…

From ChamberChoice On May 10, 2018, the IRS released Revenue Procedure 2018-30 to announce the inflation-adjusted limits for health savings accounts (HSAs) and high deductible health plans (HDHPs) for 2019. These limits include: The maximum HSA contribution limit; The minimum deductible amount for HDHPs; and The maximum out-of-pocket expense limit for HDHPs. These limits vary…