Senator Yaw, Colleagues Urge Auditor General to Investigate DCED Business Waiver Process

HARRISBURG – State Sen. Gene Yaw (R-23), along with his Senate colleagues today urged Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale to immediately begin an audit of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) in response to its business waiver process initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a letter sent to the Auditor General, the senators requested an audit to shed light on the process used by DCED to determine ‘essential’ and ‘non-essential’ businesses.  In addition, the legislators asked for a complete listing of all businesses that were granted waivers.

“Over these past several weeks, countless local businesses have reached out to my office for assistance with DCED,” Senator Yaw said.   “There’s been a lack of transparency that has left thousands of business owners in different industries across our state in the dark.  This audit would reveal how the Administration arrived at its decision when determining what businesses were allowed to operate, while others could not.

On Thursday, senators heard from Administration officials who resisted calls for the release of more information on the waiver process.  Since March 19th, over 40,000 in-state businesses applied for an exemption to the Governor’s shutdown order.For a link to the letter, click here.

For more state-related news and information, visit Senator Yaw’s website at www.SenatorGeneYaw.com or on Facebook and Twitter @SenatorGeneYaw.

 

CONTACT:
Rita Zielonis, Chief of Staff
(717) 787-3280

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