The PA Chamber has made major policy strides this session on behalf of our broad-based membership! With a laser-focus on growing Pennsylvania’s economy and improving our competitiveness, the PA Chamber has identified three legislative areas as top priorities for the current session: workforce development, permitting reform, and tax reform.

Our multi-faceted workforce development strategy is targeted toward closing the job skills gap and helping to develop the next generation of skilled, inspired workers.  This includes:

 

• Supporting employers and employees as they work through childcare challenges, encouraging resources be directed toward an “all of the above” childcare benefits strategy.
• Working to expand 2018’s groundbreaking Clean Slate law, which seals old criminal records so individuals can get back to work and employers can close workforce gaps – a win-win for workers, business owners and the economy!
• Engaging across a number of workforce development policies that will build the workforce of tomorrow, and encourage people to live, work and raise families in Pennsylvania.

We’ve also laid out a comprehensive set of permitting reform solutions to modernize our current process and keep Pennsylvania competitive with other states. Our team has been advocating for these solutions at the state and federal level, and our efforts have garnered significant attention and legislative action.

Most recently, the state Senate answered our calls for reform by passing S.B. 350, requiring state agencies to create an accessible tracking system for applicants to check on the status of their permit applications as they move through the process. The bill also lays out a timeframe in which permits must be reviewed and issued, or otherwise be “deemed approved,” and provides for expanded use of third-party contractors to review applications – a big part of helping permits move through the process more expediently. The bill now awaits action in the House, and we’re urging House lawmakers to pass it without delay.

Last but certainly not least – we know that Act 53 of 2022 brought us decades’ worth of tax reforms, including reducing our state’s corporate net income tax rate in half by 2031, but more progress remains! Topping the PA Chamber’s priority list are two additional tax reforms that will make our tax code even more competitive and enticing for investment and job creation:

• Accelerating the CNI Phasedown: Should we really have to wait nearly a full decade to realize the benefits of Act 53? Accelerating the CNI phasedown would make even greater strides toward the PA Chamber’s mission of bringing jobs, investment and economic opportunity back to PA – and Gov. Josh Shapiro and a strong bipartisan group of lawmakers have already voiced their support!
• Improving the Treatment of Net Operating Losses: Right now, Pennsylvania is one of only two states that cap NOL deductions below the federal limit – a major red flag to employers, and one that especially hurts small to mid-sized businesses. Improving treatment of NOLs will generate a fairer tax system, which will promote future growth and make the Keystone State a more attractive place to do business overall.