​June 30th is the constitutional deadline for the PA General Assembly and Governor to approve the state’s annual budget, but with less than a week remaining a deal has yet to come to fruition.  A major point of negotiations is an almost $12billion in surplus funds.  The Chamber will continue to monitor items of importance. 

​As part of the June negotiations, Governor Tom Wolf is calling for direct payments to residents of Pennsylvania utilizing the surplus American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) COVID relief federal funding.  In Gov. Wolf’s proposed PA Opportunity Program, $500 million in ARPA dollars would provide direct payments of up to $2,000 for Pennsylvania households with an income of $80,000 or less. The program aims to help families still recovering economically from the COVID-19 pandemic or support them with covering pandemic-related costs and managing the current, every day increasing cost of living.