Gov. Tom Wolf signed into law House Bill 770, which updates requirements regarding the education, training and registration of pharmacy technicians and permits pharmacies and pharmacists in Pennsylvania to order and perform certain laboratory examinations and procedures. He also vetoed House Bills 21 and 1737.
House Bill 21 would have created a new license for home inspectors regulated by the State Board of Certified Real Estate Appraisers, separate and apart from the existing regulatory framework provided by Act 114 of 2000. Wolf’s veto message can be found here.
House Bill 1737, he said, would have undermined COVID-19 mitigation efforts and endangered the public health by enacting overly broad immunity protections from civil liability due to the pandemic. Wolf’s veto message can be found here.
Soon after the veto of House Bill 1737, LeadingAge President and CEO Adam Marles condemned Wolf for his decision.
“House Bill 1737 enjoyed bipartisan support in the legislature,” Marles said. “Despite this, Gov. Wolf has turned his back on nursing home providers during a pandemic when they need him the most. Long-term care providers must have the support of their state government at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic is surging and still an immense challenge. Our 370 members all across the commonwealth are waging a 24/7 battle against this virus despite a critical lack of state funding. It is stunning that Gov. Wolf chose trial lawyers over nursing homes on the frontlines fighting a pandemic.”
