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Lawmaker sponsors ‘green plus’ phase bill

The House has passed legislation sponsored by a local lawmaker that would move counties to a green plus phase of business reopenings.

State Rep. Garth Everett, R-Muncy, said his bill empowers community leaders to relieve their communities of COVID-19 restrictions based on the specific circumstances of their counties.

“The major roadblock forcing counties to be unable to economically recover from the effects of COVID-19 has been the governor’s office and its arbitrary mandates,” he said. “Secretary of State Rachel Levine admitted this week that our hospitals are not challenged. So why are we continuing to present unfair challenges to our mom-and-pop businesses in rural and suburban Pennsylvania that are struggling to stay afloat?”

Supporters of the legislation, he said, have criticized the lack of communication between the governor’s office and local officials and health officials when regulations are put into effect, often at short notice.

The bill would allow a county to pass a resolution designating it as being in the green phase of reopening after being in the yellow phase of reopening for at least 21 days.

“At the height of the outbreak in the spring, Pennsylvanians were told that our goal was to flatten the curve,” Everett said. “We have succeeded in doing that and we should not continue to move the goalposts to unrealistic expectations.”

The bill now goes to the Senate.

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