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Senadora Maria Collett

Lower Gwynedd, Pa. – July 16, 2020 — Today, Senator Maria Collett (D-12 Montgomery/Bucks) joins Governor Tom Wolf in announcing $50 million for the COVID-19 PA Hazard Pay Grant Program, funded by federal CARES dollars allocated by the Pennsylvania General Assembly under Act 2A of 2020.

The COVID-19 PA Hazard Pay Grant Program was created to help employers in life-sustaining industries such as food manufacturing and retail, healthcare and social assistance, and transit recognize the extraordinary risks and sacrifices made by their frontline employees during the pandemic. The program was part of the Pennsylvania Democratic Caucus’ PA Cares initiative that guided the first round of CARES spending.

“As the COVID crisis shows few signs of slowing down, this program will put money into the pockets of Pennsylvania’s lowest-paid frontline workers, who continue to risk their families’ health and safety to keep us fed, care for our children and elderly, and help fellow frontline workers get to and from work,” said Senator Collett. “I was proud to work closely with the Governor and his team to develop this program, and I’m especially glad to see that Governor Wolf and DCED agreed to include actual risk and local prevalence of COVID as evaluation criteria, which are critical to making sure our hard-hit businesses and workers in Bucks and Montgomery counties get their fair share.”

The application period will open on July 16, 2020 and close July 31, 2020. Eligible applicants — businesses, healthcare non-profits, public transportation agencies, and Certified Economic Development Organizations (CEDOs) — can apply on behalf of frontline workers in eligible industries through the PA Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) website. Grant applicants may apply for up to $1,200 per eligible full-time equivalent employee. The hazard pay must be paid to employees over the 10-week period of August 16, 2020 through October 24, 2020 as a $3/hour hazard pay increase.

Eligible industries include: healthcare and social assistance; food retail facilities, including convenience and specialty food stores; food manufacturing; transit and transportation; and janitorial services. Interested employees should talk to their employers. Interested employers can reach out to DCED or Senator Collett’s office with questions.

Read Governor Wolf’s press release here.

 

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