Gov. Wolf's 2021 Agenda: COVID Relief, Legal Pot, Election Reform

HARRISBURG, PA — Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf on Thursday said his priorities this year will focus heavily on the state's post-pandemic economic recovery and attempts to provide billions in retraining and assistance for displaced workers.

Wolf detailed his priorities at a news conference prior to delivering his budget address to state legislators on Feb. 2. Though he said there is "light at the end of the tunnel" regarding the coronavirus outbreak, Wolf noted the ongoing health crisis continues to have significant negative financial impacts on businesses, workers and families.

“To get Pennsylvania back on track from the disruptions the pandemic is causing, we need to make major, targeted investments to strengthen our economy, support workers and small business owners, rebuild our infrastructure, and help all Pennsylvanians build a path to financial security," he said.

Wolf said he will propose providing a multi-billion dollar investment into the workforce development system to provide worker re-employment assistance.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has caused major disruptions and layoffs to Pennsylvania’s workforce, disproportionately impacting low-wage workers, people of color, people with disabilities, and certain industries," he said. "Our economic recovery requires a strategic investment in workforce
development that addresses these inequities, supports workers most significantly impacted by the pandemic."

Wolf returned to other proposals he previously has advocated, included raising the minimum wage in the state to $12 an hour initially and rising to $15 by 2027. Pennsylvania's current minimum wage of $7.25 an hour hasn't been raised in more than a decade.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has made raising the state’s embarrassingly low minimum wage more crucial than ever as thousands of essential workers are struggling to buy food and avoid homelessness," Wolf said.

The governor once again called on the General Assembly to appropriate $145 million in reserves from the Workers Compensation Security Fund to immediately allocate to businesses harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic. He also proposed reducing the corporate net income tax from 9.99 percent in 2022, with continued reductions to 6.49 percent by 2026.

Wolf called again for legalizing adult-use marijuana, contending revenue generated from legalization could help support small businesses attempting to bounce back from the pandemic.

The governor called for bipartisan support for health care reforms that would focus on physical and behavioral health and promoting affordability and accessibility. Bipartisan support also is needed for criminal justice reforms that would include overhauling the bail system, he said.

Election reforms Wolf is backing include allowing pre-canvassing of ballots before Election Day to increase the speed and efficiency of counting ballots; legislation that would permit same-day voter registration and strengthening voter intimidation restrictions.

Wolf said he believes bipartisan support for those efforts can occur because he and the General Assembly came together to support the approval of medical marijuana, the nation's first Clean Slate law and other significant legislation.

Wolf also plans to reintroduce his government reform plan that would ban all public officials in the state from accepting gifts. He also called for enacting new campaign finance regulations limiting contributions to candidates for office.

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