Dear PAOLMA Members,

Late this afternoon the Senate Community, Economic and Recreational Development Committee considered various bills and voted some of them out of the Committee. As you know, HB 2433, which had passed the House of Representatives last week, was on the Committee agenda for consideration today. The bill was passed over and not considered by the Committee today.

However, the reason HB 2433 was passed over in committee was because HB 2388 (Rep. Natalie Mihalek-R-Allegheny County) was considered and an amendment was offered to it by the Committee Chairman, Senator Tom Killion (R-Delaware County). HB 2388 in its original form included the same language as HB 2433 did in terms of providing a blanket industry waiver from the March 19, 2020 DCED Business Closure Order.

In HB 2388 the blanket waiver applied only to vehicle dealers (like HB 2433, HB 2388 has already passed the House of Representatives). The original language in HB 2388 also required the vehicle dealers receiving the blanket waiver to adhere to CDC and mitigation guidelines just as was required in HB 2433 for messenger services.

The amendment by Chairman Killion added vehicle-related businesses, lawn and garden center services, cosmetology, salon and barbershop services, messenger and agent services, animal grooming services and certain manufacturing operations to the blanket industry waiver and health mitigation language already contained in HB 2388 for vehicle dealers.

As a result, our focus has now turned to supporting HB 2388 as the legislation which will provide a blanket industry waiver for messengers if enacted into law. HB 2388 was read on the Floor of the Senate today on first consideration, should be read on second consideration tomorrow, and may be scheduled for a final Senate vote on Wednesday. Because the bill was amended in the Senate after having passed the House, HB 2388 under any circumstance, must return to the House if it passes the Senate so that the House can consider the newly amended bill and decide whether to concur in the amendment language that was added to the bill in the Senate.

As of now, PAOLMA should be supporting HB 2388 (Mihalek-R-Allegheny

County) because it does for the messenger industry what HB 2433 also does. HB 2433 is probably not going forward for the remainder of the

2020 legislative session as it’s language and intent is moving forward in HB 2388.

We will be communicating with all Senators in support of voting “YES”

and passing HB 2388—hopefully in a final vote this week. We will keep monitoring the progress of HB 2388 and keep you apprised of its status and developments surrounding it.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or need further information about these bills.

Bob Taylor

215-801-2295

Eric: As you know some of the messengers are allowed to open starting today.  I have been getting questions that I cannot answer. .  They are as below.

1.  I emailed Robert Shaffer several times about getting temp tag orders restarted for issuing agents.  He informed me that they had been working on plans since the shutdown.  Has anything been put in place yet?  PennDOT will begin supporting dealers, agents and messengers in areas that transition to yellow on May 8, 2020, by processing mailed in plate orders.  There is still no counter service access available for business partners at our ROC location due to continued COVID-19 mitigation efforts.  You can stay updated on the Governor’s direction by going to www.pa.gov. 

2.  What do they do regarding expired drivers licenses that expired after March 16th but were extended through June 30th, 2020 when doing title transfers?  Do they simply copy the expired drivers license and can safely proceed with the title transfer?  As stated in Bulletin No. 20-08, Effective April 30, 2020, expiration dates for driver licenses, photo ID cards and learner’s permits scheduled to expire from March 16, 2020 through May 31, 2020, are now extended through June 30, 2020.

What if the drivers license expired before March 16th?  May they copy that license and if they have the renewed camera card also copy that and proceed with the title transfer?  If we suggest they go ahead and renew via the website, can we then proceed with the title transfer?  For anyone expired before March 16^th, they will need to renew their DL.  You will make a copy of front and back of the DL and also make a copy of the renewed camera card for the record and proceed with the title transfer.

3.  Will there be an extension of the free never received products beyond the normal 90 grace period? I am looking into this question and will get back to you.

4.  Will apportioned registration be extended beyond the May 31st deadline and how may we T/A agents help the department and our apportioned registration customers through this?   I’m looking into this question and will get back to you.

We all feel that we can help the Department and our customers, many of whom desperately need our services (there have been many heartbreaking conversations with customers) safely through this but we do need some communication from the Department.

Thank You Jo A Naccarato, Owner Pa Auto License Brokers

Co-Chair Pennsylvania OnLine Messenger Association

Folks,

 

This is a simple and concise explanation that I received regarding the Unemployment Compensation programs currently being implemented under the CARES Act, and some status for the future.

 

 

The federal CARES Act passed on March 27, 2020, and provides for the following:

 

• An additional $600 per week on top of the weekly benefit a claimant receives from eligible UC programs.
• Expanded benefits for unemployed individuals who are traditionally not eligible for UC benefits.

o This includes the self-employed, independent contractors, and gig economy workers.

• 13 weeks of extended benefits for claimants who have exhausted their initial eligibility.

o UC claimants are now eligible for up to 39 weeks of total benefits.

• The PA Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) has also waived job search and work registration requirements, in addition to the traditional waiting week before claimants can file for benefits.

 

$600 Benefit (Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation)

 

• L&I began sending out $600 checks last Friday and they will begin arriving later this week.
• The benefits will be paid out starting with the week ending April 4, 2020, and will continue to be paid out through the week ending July 25, 2020.
• Eligible claimants will NOT need to apply separately for this benefit.

o All eligible claimants that filed a biweekly claim for the week ending April 4 and who received their regular UC payment should expect to see their money later this week.

o Other eligible claimants who have not yet received a regular UC payment, will receive the extra $600 the week after receiving their first UC payment.

 

Benefits for the Self-Employed, Independent Contractors, and Gig Workers (Pandemic Unemployment Assistance)

 

• Claimants are not yet able to apply for these benefits, but L&I estimates that application will be available within the next 2 weeks.
• Eligible claimants will receive payments backdated to whichever is later:

o January 27, 2020; or

o The first week they were unable to work due to COVID-19.

• The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefit will end December 31, 2020.
• Individuals who think they will be eligible should continue to check L&I’s unemployment compensation website for updates on when and how they can apply.
• The U.S. Department of Labor requires that PUA be tracked separately from regular UC. For this reason, Pennsylvania must build a new online platform to process PUA benefits.
• Contrary to some misinformation that’s out there, as of last Friday, no surrounding state has implemented UC benefits for the self-employed, gig workers, or independent contractors.

o NY and a couple other states (NJ and VA) are encouraging those individuals to apply. However, they must be rejected for normal UC benefits first before they will be eligible for benefits under the CARES Act.

▪ Pennsylvania is working to cut out that step by creating a separate application for these claimants.

• Note: as of Friday, the only state we’re aware of that is actually paying out PUA benefits is Rhode Island, which is one of the least populated states in the country.

 

 

Extended Benefits (Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation)

 

• L&I is awaiting additional guidance from the federal government before implementing extended benefits for claimants who have exhausted their benefits eligibility.

o These claimants are not yet able to apply for extended benefits.

• Claimants will be eligible for extended benefits from the week beginning March 29, 2020, through the end of the year.
• These claimants should continue to monitor L&I’s unemployment compensation website for updates on when and how they can apply.

 

Progress Implementing Changes

 

• L&I is working day and night to implement these changes to the UC system as quickly as possible, in addition to processing an unprecedented number of traditional UC claims.

o Since March 15, 2020, more than 1.3 million unemployment claims have been filed in Pennsylvania, with as many as 90,000 claims being filed in a single day.

o So far, the department has paid out more than half the claims that have been filed since this crisis began, distributing more than $500 million of benefits.

 

March 27, 2020

 

Waivers for Businesses

The Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) is alerting partners that businesses that submitted a waiver form through the email process should re-submit their waiver request through the DCED web form found here if they have not already been approved: https://expressforms.pa.gov/apps/pa/DCED/Waiver-process-keeping-physical-locations-open.

If you submitted a waiver through the original email process, please reach out to DCED and/or re-submit at the link above. Please see this link for a revised FAQ listing on submissions.

Those businesses requesting clarification on whether they are defined as life-sustaining should check this list, email the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) customer service resource account at ra-dcedcs@pa.gov, or call 1-877-PA-HEALTH and select option 1 to reach DCED staff. For businesses that determine from the list that they are non-life sustaining, but would like to seek a waiver for the first time, there is an online waiver application.

As a reminder, there is additional information and & resources on the PA DCED website at www.dced.pa.gov. To apply for the PIDA loan, visit https://dced.pa.gov/programs/pennsylvania-industrial-development-authority-pida/.

In addition, applications are now being accepted for the COVID-19 Working Capital Access (CWCA) Program, administered by the Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority (PIDA). The program will provide critical working capital financing to small businesses located within the Commonwealth that are adversely impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. All CWCA loan applications must be submitted through a Certified Economic Development Organization (CEDO). For the list of CEDO’s operating within Pennsylvania, please refer to https://dced.pa.gov/programs/covid-19-working-capital-access-program-cwca/.

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CONTACT: Madison Scarfaro mscarfaro@pasen.gov  (215) 541-2388

Jo,

In your email, you asked if you could continue doing online messenger
work.  The department has not deemed an online agent as an essential
business.  If a business seeks to be identified as an essential
business, they will need to seek a waiver from the Department of
Community and Economic Development (DCED).

As you may already know, the department has notified its business
partners through its Driver and Vehicle Services Bulletins of the
extension of products, including vehicle registrations and safety and
emissions inspections (see attachment).

Also, see other March 2020 bulletins. These are the official
announcements of the department at this time.

https://www.dmv.pa.gov/Information-Centers/Business-Partner/pages/driver-and-vehicle-services-bulletin.aspx

Regards,

Eric Alsvan | Manager, Online Programs

PA Department of Transportation | Bureau of Motor Vehicles

1101 South Front Street | Harrisburg, PA 17104

Phone: 717.346.0986 | Fax: 717.346.4022

www.dmv.pa.gov