Chamber President Gary Laird Joins Legislators in the Fight for Local Businesses, Advocates for House Bill 1737

Hanover Area Chamber of Commerce President Gary Laird recently attended a press conference to discuss Governor Wolf’s veto of House Bill 1737. The conference was hosted by PA State Rep. Kate Klunk at the Ballroom on Broadway.

 In his statement, Laird emphasized the necessity of the bill that would have protected businesses from unwarranted, frivolous lawsuits:

“We believe safeguarding public health is a top priority. At the same time, many of our businesses have suffered incredible financial losses, have been forced to close, and for many who do survive, it will take years for them to recover from their losses. For the foreseeable future, employers will be subject workplace health requirements. Those who take the necessary precautions to protect customers and employees should be able to proceed with confidence knowing they will not be targeted with frivolous and potentially devastating litigation.

House Bill 1737 was written to provide temporary safe harbor from unwarranted lawsuits. It was endorsed by the Hanover Chamber of Commerce and hundreds of Chambers of Commerce across the Commonwealth representing thousands of businesses and jobs.

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.

Let us protect public health, let us protect our businesses, and let us protect our jobs. When we successfully achieve this balance, we will have a tremendous future for our small towns, our cities, and the commonwealth of PA. We must act, now!”

To view a video of the entire event, click here.

Additional legislation to protect businesses will be proposed once the House is back in session in January.

Throughout the pandemic, the Chamber has advocated for businesses and the safe reopening of the local economy.

To sign-up to receive the Chamber’s weekly COVID-19 eblasts, click here.

The mission of the Hanover Area Chamber of Commerce is to deliver value to members and advance the interests of the business community.  For more information, visit www.hanoverchamber.com.