This letter was sent on November 11, 2020 to Pennsylvania’s Honorable State Lawmakers regarding the House Bill 1737/Temporary Liability Protections. Those who have signed and endorsed this letter are at the end of the letter.

To Pennsylvania’s Honorable State Lawmakers:

On behalf of our chambers of commerce, representing hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvania employers, we write to urge your support for temporary safe harbor from unwarranted lawsuits, while still holding bad actors accountable.

While safeguarding public health is top priority, the tragedy befalling businesses is real.  Pennsylvanians who had successful companies just a few months ago are going bankrupt, draining savings, seeing their life’s work swept away. Those who have been allowed to maintain operations or are planning to resume may face an uncertain future; the daunting reality of climbing out of a hole with fewer customers and a grim outlook; and significant additional costs to comply with new regulations.

Additionally threatening to individual employers, and therefore prospects for economic recovery, is the likelihood of unwarranted pandemic-related lawsuits. For the foreseeable future, employers will be subject to strict workplace health requirements and those who take necessary precautions to protect customers and employees should proceed with confidence knowing they will not be targeted with frivolous, and potentially devastating, litigation.

We are grateful for the public support provided to employers thus far; however, the pandemic’s economic impact has been relentless and so must be the public response.  We urge you to support temporary, targeted legal safe harbor for those employers and healthcare providers operating in good faith and complying with relevant requirements.

Thank you.

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