Gov. Wolf Holds News Conference in Support of Minimum Wage Increase
On Friday, Governor Tom Wolf joined Democratic members of the House and Senate, including House Democratic Leader Joanna McClinton, in Philadelphia to again call for a raise in Pennsylvania’s minimum wage. Without regard for the economic consequences of this proposal, Gov. Wolf has repeatedly called for the state’s minimum wage to be raised to $15 per hour after an initial increase to $12. The governor and advocates have also proposed eliminating the tipped credit system used primarily by the restaurant industry, which would force these small businesses to increase labor costs by 425 percent as they continue struggling to recover from the pandemic.
Carla Sands Announces Run for Pennsylvania Senate Seat
President Trump’s former ambassador to Denmark announced last week that she was joining the crowded primary field vying for the state’s Republican nomination to the U.S. Senate. Carla Sands is a Pennsylvania native and CEO of Vintage Capital Group. The primary election will be held in May 2022.
New Law Gives Telecom Companies Competitive Advantage in PA
According to reporting in the Pennsylvania Capital-Star, legislation that passed in late June could be a boon for the competitiveness of Pennsylvania’s telecom market. Municipal permitting for 5G infrastructure — formerly a process that could play out over many months — is now limited by statute to 60 or 90 days before being granted automatic approval.
Commerce Department adds 34 Chinese Companies to ‘Entity List’ for Xinjiang, Trade, Military Abuses
On Friday, the Biden Administration added 34 additional companies, 14 headquartered in the People’s Republic of China, to the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security’s ‘Entity List’ for activities “contrary to the foreign policy and national security interests of the United States.” Among the reasons for the listings were support for actions that aided the PRC government’s oppression of minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, trading with Iran in violation of existing U.S. regulations, and supporting China’s military modernization programs. Maintained by the U.S. Department of Commerce, the list restricts trade practices on goods listed on the U.S. Government’s Export Administration Regulations.