Representative Joshua Kail
15th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Alison Evans
717.260.6206
RepKail.com
/ Facebook.com/RepKail
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March
24, 2021
House Republicans Reintroduce Commonwealth’s
COVID Comeback
HARRISBURG – House
Republicans unveiled a pro-jobs, pro-families, pro-growth and recovery-focused
legislative package designed to achieve a better normal. The initiative,
“Commonwealth’s COVID Comeback,” would incentivize manufacturers and provide
protections to small businesses, as well as offer tax and regulatory reform to
bring family-sustaining jobs to Pennsylvania.
Rep. Josh
Kail (R-Beaver/Washington) said of the initiative, “After the year our job
creators and workers have had due to the crisis, we cannot wait any longer to
rebuild Pennsylvania. This package of bills is about jobs, families and growth.
Taking on these issues now will ensure a stronger future for our children and
grandchildren.”
To bring
more jobs back to Pennsylvania, Kail’s bill would allow the Commonwealth
Financing Authority to designate strategic and targeted zones in the state to
be used as the base of operations for manufacturing. Businesses in those zones
would receive tax abatements for state and local taxes and would be eligible
for targeted job creation tax credits.
The
second bill, sponsored by Rep. George Dunbar (R-Westmoreland), would allow job
creators to recover and reinvest in Pennsylvania by increasing the net
operating loss to 100%. The additional 60% deduction can only be from losses
incurred in 2020.
To prioritize
workforce development, Rep. Clint Owlett
(R-Tioga/Bradford/Potter) drafted legislation that would encourage companies
and employers to invest in skilled training and workforce development programs.
Another
bill, drafted by Rep. Natalie Mihalek
(R-Allegheny/Washington), would provide tax relief to low-income families and
foster a climate aimed to assist struggling businesses and attract new business
into the Commonwealth by adjusting the special poverty provisions tax exemption
thresholds and reducing the Corporate Net Income Tax from 9.99% to 5.99% by
Jan. 1, 2025.
Another
bill in the package, authored by Rep. Jonathan Fritz (R-Susquehanna/Wayne),
would
ensure
permitting decisions are made promptly and reliably by deeming Department of
Environmental Protection (DEP) permit applications administratively complete if
accompanied by a professional engineer’s affidavit attesting to the sufficiency
of the application. DEP would be required to render a decision on any permit
application without an affidavit within 45 days.
The final
bill, authored by Rep. Torren Ecker (R-Adams/Cumberland), would help provide
for the expedited and efficient resolution of lawsuits arising out of exposure
to COVID-19.
The
resolution in the package, drafted by Rep. Tim O’Neal (R-Washington), would
create a committee to review opportunities for the development of new
industries in the Commonwealth, including advanced manufacturing.
The
package of bills is similar to an identically named package in the previous
legislative session. While those bills weren’t signed into law, the intention
is to allow ample opportunity this time by introducing the bills early this
session.
“We are
proud to take the lead on such a critical package of bills. The most important
part of being an elected official is improving the lives of the people you
serve, and we’re confident this package would have an incredibly positive
impact on Pennsylvania,” the group said. “It’s time for the Commonwealth’s
COVID Comeback.”
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