PA Chamber of Business and Industry President and CEO Gene Barr issued the following statement following the state House’s passage of H.B. 605, legislation which includes temporary safe harbor protections for employers from unwarranted COVID-19 related lawsuits.
“As we have repeatedly stated since the early days of the pandemic, targeted liability protections for those entities that are acting in good faith and following state and federal health guidelines are a critical component to the Commonwealth’s economic recovery. Employers, nonprofits, schools and others continue significant investments to protect their employees and customers and should proceed with confidence knowing they will not be unfairly targeted by a small but unscrupulous group of profiteers seeking to benefit from this health and economic disaster.
“It’s important to note, that House Bill 605 does not provide blanket immunity and bad actors will still be held accountable. These liability protections are targeted, narrow in scope and temporary – which Pennsylvania businesses desperately need as they struggle to overcome the economic challenges the COVID-19 pandemic has placed on them. We applaud the House for taking action on this necessary legislation and urge quick approval of the bill in the Senate and for Governor Wolf to ultimately sign it into law.”