Category: State Government Actions

Gov. Wolf to Sign HB 2071 to Help Expand High-Speed Broadband Internet in Pennsylvania (December 16, 2021)

On December 16, 2021, the General Assembly sent the unanimously passed HB 2071 that will help bring high-speed internet to students, businesses and residents across Pennsylvania.

According to Gov Wolf,  “[Passage of HB 2071] represents a generational change for many rural communities that lack internet access, and for communities that do not have reliable access. With this investment and planning, we will close the digital divide, improve the cost, and bring new opportunities to communities that broadband provides.”

The bill creates the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority which will be a one stop shop to oversee and support broadband deployment. The authority will manage at least $100 million in federal aid that Pennsylvania will receive to support a coordinated and strategic rollout of broadband to more areas with construction of new towers, lines and broadband equipment and other uses.

The historic investment in reliable high-speed internet is funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed by Congress with bipartisan support and signed by President Joe Biden. The federal government is providing $65 billion nationwide for broadband infrastructure deployment.

To view the press release, click here.

To view HB 2071, click here.

Acting Health Sec. Beam to Step Down, Gov. Wolf Names Keara Klinepeter as New Acting Secretary (December 13, 2021)

On December 13, 2021, Governor Tom Wolf announced that PA Department of Health (PDH) Acting Secretary Alison Beam will resign her position with the commonwealth at the end of the year. The governor also announced his intention to name Department of Health Executive Deputy Secretary Keara Klinepeter to serve as Acting Secretary.

Prior to Acting Secretary, Beam served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Gov. Wolf, coordinating initiatives and resources across Pennsylvania’s Departments of Health, Human Services, Drug & Alcohol Programs, Aging and Insurance, as well as the Office of Advocacy and Reform. She helped coordinate the administration’s COVID-19 pandemic response; the rollout of Pennie, Pennsylvania’s health insurance marketplace; the Reach Out PA campaign; and the Wolf Administration’s health care reform plan. Prior to the governor’s office, Beam served as Chief of Staff to the Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner.

Following Acting Secretary Beam’s departure, Executive Deputy Secretary Klinepeter will assume the acting position.

To view the press release, click here.

PA Supreme Court Rules School Mask Mandate Invalid (December 12, 2021)

On Friday, December 10, 2021, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling voided an order by the PA Department of Health (PDH) requiring students to wear masks in school. The decision upholds an earlier Commonwealth Court ruling that found the masking order issued in August by Acting PA Health Secretary Alison Beam to be unenforceable.

According to the court, Acting Sec. Beam lacked authority to require that students wear face masks while in school in an attempt to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the school setting. However, the mask mandate was challenged in court by a group that included Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman (R – Centre), which claimed it was opposing “government overreach.”

The ruling now places the responsibility on local school boards make pandemic mitigation decisions, including whether students are required to wear face masks in school.

A written opinion regarding the court’s decision will be made public at a future date.

Source: PennLive

DHS Discusses Spending Plan for Home and Community-Based Services (December 12, 2021)

On December 9, 2021, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) highlighted Pennsylvania’s spending plan for approximately $1.2 billion in enhanced federal Medicaid funding made available to states through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). This funding will support Medicaid’s home and community-based services (HCBS) system throughout the commonwealth, which helps seniors, people with disabilities, and children with complex medical needs safely live in their community among their family and peers. This funding will strengthen Pennsylvania’s home and community-based services system by allowing more Pennsylvanians access to critical services in their communities and supporting service providers that perform this work every day.

“We have an unprecedented opportunity with this federal funding to support those who have been supporting individuals and families in our communities throughout the pandemic,” said Acting Secretary Meg Snead. “With this funding, we are immediately investing in recruitment and retention of Pennsylvania’s caring workforce, which is crucial to providing home and community-based services.”

DHS received conditional approval of its spending plan on December 1 from the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services. Pennsylvania’s plan focuses on the following areas:

-Increasing access to home and community-based services
-Staff recruiting and retention
-Providing necessary supplies to safely facilitate services
-Additional trainings and learning opportunities through workforce support
-Supporting families caring for their loved one
-Improving functional capabilities of people with disabilities
-Enhancing transitional supports
-Home and community-based services capacity building


Through the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP), DHS administers home and community-based service programs for individuals with intellectual disabilities and autism. More than 57,000 Pennsylvanians with intellectual disabilities and autism are served through Pennsylvania’s Office of Developmental Programs.

ARPA funding will help ODP address short and long-term workforce needs by supporting recruitment, retention, training, certification, and credentialing for direct support professionals. Additionally, the funding will be used to expand access and training for providers interested in adopting remote technology and strengthen county infrastructure by providing funding to expand staffing to accommodate the growth in the intellectual disabilities and autism home and community-based waiver programs. The enhanced funding will also allow ODP to enhance supports for individuals with disabilities and their families affected by the pandemic by providing peer-to-peer training on topics like re-engaging in community, trauma and wellness, self-directed services, and more.

“Human services are critical to our national infrastructure, and investing in that infrastructure so that people can stay healthy, safe, and participate and thrive within their own communities is a win for everyone,” said DHS Office of Developmental Programs Deputy Secretary Kristin Ahrens. “DHS is committed to using ARPA funding to address issues happening now, and to plan for the future so that we can ensure that these programs are available to those who need them.” 

More information about Pennsylvania’s home and community-based services spending plan is available on the DHS website.

PDH Encourages Newly Eligible 16 and 17 Year-olds to Receive Booster Dose Following Federal Approval (December 10, 2021)

On December 10, 2021, following the approval process by the federal government, the PA Department of Health (PDH) confirmed that Pennsylvanians 16 and 17 years old are now eligible for a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine booster dose after six months of completing the primary series.

“The Department of Health urges all eligible Pennsylvanians who have yet to get vaccinated to do so immediately and for those people who are eligible to receive a booster shot to get that added level of protection as soon as possible,” Physician General Dr. Denise Johnson said while visiting the community COVID-19 vaccine clinic at Gettysburg College yesterday.

While anyone 18 years and older may receive any vaccine regardless of which brand of vaccine was received for primary vaccination, those who are 16 and 17 years old are only eligible to receive the Pfizer vaccine.

Pennsylvania vaccine providers, including pediatricians, primary care physicians, pharmacies, and federally qualified health centers, are able to schedule booster doses and are ready to administer booster appointments now.

Dr. Johnson echoed the importance of vaccines for those eligible, including those 5 to 11 years old. “The COVID-19 vaccines are our best protection against the virus,” Dr. Johnson said. “The pediatric vaccine is safe, and it is highly effective at protecting children against COVID-19-related illness, hospitalization, and death. I am impressed by the tens of thousands of Pennsylvanians who are stepping up every day to get their first, second or third dose of vaccine to protect themselves, their loved ones and their neighbors against COVID-19.”

To find a COVID-19 vaccine provider near you, please visit www.vaccines.gov.