State. Sen. Steve Santarsiero (D-10th dist.) joined his Democratic colleagues in the Senate and 39 Democratic House members to request that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court issue an order staying all eviction and foreclosure proceedings until 90 days after a county is moved from the red phase to the yellow phase of reopening.
The letter highlights the concerns of Democrats that a stay on evictions and foreclosures until a specific date will not adequately protect Pennsylvanians whose counties were among the first to shut down and will remain in the red phase for a longer period of time.
“Gov. Wolf’s order to prevent foreclosures and evictions is a good step forward in providing a safety net for Pennsylvanians during these unprecedented times. I applaud the governor and the attorney general for their leadership on this issue; however, I believe we still need to address the hardships faced by Pennsylvanians in counties that remain in the red phase of mitigation,” Santarsiero said. “A single date for lifting the stay statewide will have the unintended consequence of putting residents in places like Bucks County at a disadvantage. During an already stressful time, Pennsylvanians who have been out of work should know that they have some time to recover financially before they can face a possible foreclosure or eviction. Furthermore, the current stay needs to be extended to commercial evictions and foreclosures. Our small businesses need this relief so that they can get back on their feet when we enter the yellow phase without the risk of losing their stores or offices.”
