Voters will consider three amendments to Pennsylvania’s Constitution on the May 18th primary ballot. Two of those amendments deal with the governor’s authority related to emergency declarations and the third adds long-overdue language prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race or ethnicity. The Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors is joining with groups across the state in encouraging people to vote yes on all three of these amendments.
The amendments related to disaster declarations would involve the General Assembly in how disaster declarations are managed and how long they are in effect. After 21 days, the Legislature would have to agree to continue a declaration and, if terminated, the governor could not issue a new declaration based on the same or similar circumstances without the General Assembly’s concurrence.
The third amendment would bring Pennsylvania’s Constitution in alignment with the U.S. Constitution by prohibiting restriction or denial of an individual’s equal rights because of race or ethnicity.
The Pennsylvania Department of State provides the language that will appear on the ballot, as well as a “plain English” explanation of each question. The Chamber of Commerce does not have a position on the referendum related to municipal fire and emergency medical services companies also referenced on this website.
Some legislators have expressed frustration over the wording that will appear on the ballot as being biased against the amendments. A website, VoteYesPA.com, has also been developed as part of a campaign to encourage voters to support these amendments. Posters are available at the Chamber office to anyone who wishes to display them.
The Small Business Administration released technical guidance and a sample application (see Supplemental Documents) for the Restaurant Revitalization Fund. The SBA will not begin accepting applications until early May, but the release of these documents allows restaurant operators to see the application and begin organizing documents.
The National Restaurant Association is currently updating its FAQ document to reflect the specifics of this application.
There are an estimated 100,000 individuals enrolled in non-group coverage that is ACA-compliant who can enroll in Pennie™ coverage with access to savings under this legislation.
The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) includes provisions specific to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) resulting in significant impacts, including large savings, for Pennsylvanians seeking individual market coverage and those already enrolled in coverage through Pennie™.
This is the largest coverage expansion since the ACA passed in 2010. The eligibility enhancements under this law allow for money to be put back in the hands of people and provide potentially life-altering coverage and relief to many Pennsylvanians who may be struggling with the pandemic and its economic repercussions.
What’s included in ARPA?
The plan includes an increase in the eligibility for, and the amount of, premium tax credits for Pennsylvanians at all income levels during the 2021 and 2022 plan years. Those earning more than the current cap of 400% of the federal poverty level — about $51,000 for an individual and $104,800 for a family of four in 2021 – will be newly eligible for subsidy tax credit.
Under this law, no one will pay more than 8.5 percent of their income in premiums for the second lowest cost silver plan, the benchmark plan, in their county. In some cases, lower-income enrollees could have their premiums eliminated completely.
How does this affect existing Marketplace members?
These eligibility changes also affect the current customers in the marketplace. Under this law, most of the existing enrollees will have an increase in the amount of the financial assistance they receive each month, this also includes individuals who will now become eligible for these Advanced Premium Tax Credits.
Once the changes are implemented, customers will see a decrease in their monthly premium payments. This is also an opportunity for individuals to check if they would like to move to a different plan.
How does this play out for a real member?
- Scenario A: A 40-year-old single woman, nonsmoker who lives in Philadelphia with a $19,140 annual income. Under the old law she would be paying an estimated $66/month for the benchmark plan. Under this new law, she will now be paying $0/month. Savings of $792
- Scenario B: a married couple, who are both 64-year-old, non-smokers from Dauphin County with an annual income of $77,580. Under the old law, they would be seeing a monthly payment of around $2,400 and now under the new law, they will be paying $550, capped at 8.5 percent of their income for the benchmark plan. Savings of $22,200
What if a member enrolled in off-exchange coverage?
Another key target audience affected by this law is those Pennsylvanians enrolled in off-exchange coverage. Individuals enrolled in individual coverage without a subsidy should check to see if they would be better buying a plan on the exchange.
My Benefit Advisor’s team of certified specialist are available to make sure customers on the individual market are aware of these savings and to assist those who wish to make the transition and take advantage of this increase in financial assistance. Please contact My Benefit Advisor at (855) 874-0267 or www.mybenefitadvisor.com/indvidual.
Bloomsburg’s Mayor and another member of Council vying for that position will share their views during an upcoming candidate forum being co-hosted by The Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Bloomsburg Inc. Incumbent Bill Kreisher and Justin Hummel are the only registered candidates and will be on the Democratic ballot in the May 18th primary. The candidates will meet Wednesday, April 28th at 7:00 p.m. at the Alvina Krause Theatre.
The format will be a modified debate. Each candidate will be presented with the same questions in rotating order with a set amount of time for each response. A limited number of questions from the audience will also be presented. Fred Gaffney, president of the Chamber of Commerce, will be the moderator. Candidates will also be given two minutes for closing remarks.
The public is invited to attend the event. Safety protocols, including physical distancing and masks, will be in effect.
Do you want to connect with Middle and High School Students to come work for you someday? Do they know what your company does? Do they know what opportunities exist with your organization?
We are now officially recruiting businesses to participate in the 2021 Live Virtual Future Careers Expo Event. This year the Chamber’s Foundation is partnering with Central PA Workforce Development Corporation (CPWDC) and PA CareerLink to bring a more robust virtual event aimed at educating students about the diverse paths to a successful career. We hope that your business/organization will participate. This is a wonderful opportunity for you to meet with students and share with them what types of work your business does, and what types of jobs make your organization work. This is an educational opportunity and not a “job fair”. We want students to walk away inspired to follow a career path that might lead to your company.
Details of the event are:
- Date: Thursday, May 6, 2021
- Time: 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
- Location: Online via Booth Central web platform
- Hosted By: The Foundation of the Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce, Central PA Workforce Development Corporation (CPWDC) and PA Career Link
Participants:
- Hundreds of students from at least 8 Area Middle and High Schools (Benton, Berwick, Bloomsburg, Central Columbia, Columbia Montour Vo-Tech, Danville, Millville, Southern Columbia)
If your business decides to participate in the Expo please do the following:
Register Here. Once you have selected the purple “Register for event” button to the right, you will be directed to the event platform Booth Central. You will need to: 1) Select the red “Apply for a Booth button”. 2) Create an account through a simple process by clicking “Join now” found on the Hello screen. 3) Select “Join as Booth Host”. 4) Complete the form and select “Register”. 5) You will then complete the event registration form. Please contact BusinessSolutions@CentralPACL.org with any questions. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. Equal Opportunity Employer/ Program.
There is no cost to you for participating. You can request multiple booths per organization if you want to showcase different careers or business units to students. Each virtual booth will need staffed during the live virtual event.
The goal of this event is to educate middle and high school students about the workforce opportunities in our area, including the types of industries available here, the skills and education needed for specific careers, future job openings, etc. We hope to convince local students that there are many great career opportunities in our region.
Please register for the event no later than Friday April 30, 2021 if possible by registering at here.
For questions or additional information, contact Jeff Emanuel at the Foundation at foundation@columbiamontourchamber.com or 570-784-2522.
Geisinger has partnered with eight local chambers of commerce to launch Meals in Spring and give back to the restaurants in the community hit hard by the pandemic.
As part of the program, more than 23,000 Geisinger employees can redeem a $10 meal voucher at more than 250 participating restaurants across 12 counties through June 30.
“Our local chambers of commerce were among the first organizations that came to us during the early days of the pandemic offering help,” said John Grabusky, senior director of community relations. “They collected N95 masks and gloves, organized sewing groups for homemade masks and they were behind many donations of pizzas, sandwiches, coffees and snacks that started to flow into our facilities. Now, it’s our turn to help them by supporting our local restaurants with Meals in Spring.”
Studies have shown that for every $100 spent at locally owned businesses, $68 stays within the community. By patronizing local restaurants, Geisinger employees are contributing to the local economy, which benefits their friends, neighbors, school districts and nonprofit organizations in their communities.
Participating chambers of commerce include Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce, Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce, Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce, Greater Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce, Juniata River Valley Chamber of Commerce, Clinton County Economic Partnership & Visitors Bureau, and Williamsport/Lycoming Chamber of Commerce.
The Northeastern Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center (NEPIRC) Promotes Marla Hager to Senior Business Advisor
The Northeastern Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center (NEPIRC) proudly announces the promotion of Ms. Marla Hager to the position of Senior Business Advisor. Ms. Hager joined NEPIRC in December 2016 and, since that time, has introduced small and mid-sized manufacturers throughout Luzerne and Columbia counties to consultative services, training programs and other resources that allowed them to create and retain 2,200 full-time manufacturing jobs while strategically investing more than $29.7 million in regional expansion and modernization. Over the course of her tenure with NEPIRC, Ms. Hager’s clients have increased their top-line revenue by nearly $45 million, retained $184.5 million of at-risk sales and recognized $13.5 million in operational savings as direct outcomes of the NEPIRC engagements that she facilitated on their behalf.
In her elevated role at NEPIRC, Ms. Hager will remain responsible for cultivating and maintaining positive relationships with new and existing NEPIRC clients across Luzerne and Columbia counties while also mentoring other members of NEPIRC’s Business Advisor team and playing a more active role in NEPIRC’s long-term growth strategy.
Ms. Hager holds a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from the University of Scranton.
Clients wanting to congratulate Marla on her achievements, and manufacturers wishing to connect with her to discuss how NEPIRC can grow their business, can contact her at Marla@NEPIRC.com or 570.819.8966 x 122.
Retention Numbers Climb Nearly 20% for Bloomsburg University Act 101 Students
Students in Bloomsburg University’s Act 101 program have seen increasingly strong retention numbers over the last several years. Since 2017, Act 101 students have increased their first to second year retention rates by nearly 20 percent (45 to 63.7 percent).
The Act 101 Program is a comprehensive academic support program targeting first-generation, low-income Bloomsburg University students. Act 101 students are provided intensive, engaging, and enriching opportunities to develop the skills to help them achieve academic excellence. Students in the program come from households with incomes of double the federal poverty level or lower.
Ralph Godbolt, director of the Office of Access and Success and interim dean of students, has put a lot of hard work into helping the students.
“Our team here works hard to give these students a chance to be successful,” Godbolt said. “We provide to them the academic, cultural, and social interaction they need.”
Participants of the Act 101 program are strongly encouraged to participate in the Emerging Scholars program, a program developed and implemented by Godbolt. “The Emerging Scholars Program is a comprehensive academic support program targeting first-generation BU students who are demonstrating risk factors that will increase the likelihood of not completing a four-year college degree,” said Godbolt. “Through the Emerging Scholars Program, we provide opportunities for students to develop the skills that will assist them in achieving academic success. The success of the Emerging Scholars Program directly impacted the strong first to second year retention rates of Act 101 students.”
As part of the Emerging Scholars Program, Godbolt and his small team provide eight hours a week of study hall time, compassion-centered academic advising, and community engagement opportunities. They also provide opportunities to engage in yoga and mindfulness activities and weekly ‘rap sessions,’ where students engage in intense conversations about ongoing matters in their lives.
“The rap sessions help in building a close relationship between the student and counselor,” Godbolt said.
The Office of Access and Success oversees the Act 101 program. The office develops and implements academic, social, and cultural programming designed to assist students to develop the skills necessary for college persistence and graduation.
Programs of the Office of Access and Success include Act 101, Emerging Scholars, the Office of Diversity and Retention, Board of Governors, SEE Yourself Healthier and Happier, and the Out of the Classroom: Into the Community initiative.
Open Letter to Chamber Members from 1847Financial and The Fluffy Sheep
Chamber Members Mark Lupashunski from 1847Financial and Jackie Dietz from The Fluffy Sheep wrote open letters to the Chamber and its members:
I have been in the insurance and Financial Services business since 1990. The last 10+ years renting office space in Berwick with my business partner, Andrea Empie. We had been looking to find new space to move our business closer to downtown Berwick. One day Andrea told me that she saw a building for rent at 109 N. Mulberry Street in downtown Berwick.
Once I saw the building I remembered going there as a patient of Dr. Ali Alley many years ago. When I called the phone number on the sign, Mrs. Alley answered and I was surprised to hear that the Alley family still owned the building. They were pleased to hear that a native to Berwick was interested in the renovation of the old building. We came to terms and signed a sales agreement in January 2020 and were supposed to close on the building in 6 weeks. Then everything was put on hold due to COVID-19.
We finally were able to finalize the sale in late May. The building had been rented to various businesses over the years and was in need of renovation. After 4 months of demolition and hard work by many local contractors, we were open for business on October 1st.
The building had more space than we needed for our practice so we were able to make some space available for another business. We put an ad in the local paper and the first called happily agreed to lease the space to start her new business, The Fluffy Sheep.
We are happy to join the Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce and are glad to be able to open our business in downtown Berwick during some very difficult times to do business and are looking forward to a bright future.
Sincerely,
Mark C. Lupashunki
The Fluffy Sheep aims to be more than just a yarn shop. By offering a selection of locally made products, we support the endeavors of our local economy & community. We look forward to offering classes and a regular open craft night in the near future.
Sincerely,
Jackie Dietz
From Greg Dudkin, President, PPL Electric Utilities
Here in Pennsylvania you can shop for your electricity supply. Just like you would shop for a car, you compare different offers and choose what is right for you at the lowest cost. Then, if your home or business is part of our service territory in Eastern or Central Pennsylvania, PPL Electric Utilities (PPL) delivers the electricity to you.
Because we are delivering the electricity, we have no vested interest in which supplier you choose. But we do care whether you are paying a reasonable rate for electricity.
We’ve been monitoring the rates shopping customers pay compared to the default rate, which is the rate charged if you do not choose a supplier.
We’ve found many of our residential and small business customers are paying more for electricity through their supplier than they would have on the default rate. For customers paying more than the default rate, over a one-year period, our residential customers paid about $97 million more and small business customers paid $34 million more.
This is alarming. The data really made me stop and take a step back. The goal of deregulation is to save customers money. And that is obviously not happening. Where did it go wrong?
One of the biggest issues I find is that suppliers have limited accountability to be transparent with customers. Deceptive marketing tactics are used to attract customers.
I am sure we all know someone – or you yourself – who received a phone call or letter claiming to provide a new and better rate. Often these solicitations are disguised as a PPL-endorsed communication, using our logo or stating that the call is about your PPL bill. You may be told that if you switch now, you can get $300 gift card rewards.
If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Those gift cards they offer you are often short-term discounts to mask higher rates. And the low rates they offer you are often teaser rates. They only last a short while and then they skyrocket. We refer to it as the “bait and switch.”
Suppliers are intentionally vague in hopes you won’t understand the long-term cost increase or aren’t monitoring your electric bill closely. In fact, there are over 26,000 PPL customers paying double the price of default energy.
Suppliers are arguing that residential and small business shopping customers are willingly paying $131 million more than the default rate for value-added products, like renewable energy. Even if we assume that all customers paying above the default rate are purchasing renewable energy, we still find that over 205,000 PPL residential shopping customers are paying approximately $93 million more based on our estimate of a market-based renewable rate of 1 cent per KWH above the default energy rate.
These practices are harmful and must be monitored.
Look at what happened in Texas – or, better yet, what happened here in Pennsylvania during the 2014 polar vortex. Pennsylvania customers were baited into paying variable rates – or rates that change by the hour, day or month. When the extremely cold weather hit, those customers saw price spikes.
Just like the Texans who are now saddled with thousands of dollars in utility bill balances, the same may happen again if things do not change.
So, what can be done about all of this?
I believe we must critically evaluate the current electricity retail market and put customer protections in place. We need restrictions around introductory, promotion, and teaser rates. Suppliers need to be held accountable and be transparent.
We should also reject any proposals that allow suppliers to aggregate and send a consolidated electric bill to customers directly. Giving suppliers full control over bill communication puts customers at a disadvantage and makes it more difficult for the utility companies like PPL to protect customers.
As we continue to advocate for our customers, it’s critical you continue to shop smart. Read the fine print, be aware of deceptive marketing tactics and check your electric bill regularly to see how much you are being charged.
For more information on shopping, check out pplelectric.com/shopsmart.
From The Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce: World Kinect Energy Services is the Chamber’s partner in helping members find the best solutions for their electricity, natural gas, and liquid fuels. There is no cost or obligation to get a quote, even for non-member organizations. Click here for more information.