Burns votes to end disaster resolution, get PA back to work
Burns votes again to reopen Keystone state
Rep. Frank Burns June 9, 2020 | 9:06 PM
HARRISBURG, June 9 – Once again voting to support the hardworking men and women of Pennsylvania, today state Rep. Frank Burns, D-Cambria, again voted to end the governor’s disaster resolution and to fully reopen the Keystone State.
“I hear every day from workers and business owners who just want to be able to get back to work so they can provide for their families. These are not large box stores, but the small mom and pop businesses that are the backbone of our communities,” Burns said. “Just last week the governor felt it was safe enough to march with a large crowd of protestors – but it’s not okay to visit a locally owned barber? He himself has admitted his own policies are inconsistent with his actions. It’s time to end this shutdown and let people get back to work before it’s too late.”
The vote Tuesday came after the state Senate amended H.R. 836 and returned it to the House for a second vote. Since his disaster proclamation in March, the governor has used broad, sweeping powers to direct the state’s coronavirus response. Burns has been the only Democrat who voted three times to end the shutdown, including a vote in a House committee that sent the resolution to the House floor.
Since the start of the pandemic, Burns has consistently voted and advocated to balance the safety of workers and families with the need to allow businesses to safely reopen. He has also consistently and publicly questioned the administration about its response and pressed for more details on the metrics used in making decisions about reopening Pennsylvania’s economy.
“We cannot wait for a vaccine in order to allow Pennsylvanians to get on with their lives,” Burns said. “Pennsylvania’s coronavirus cases peaked two months ago. And while we need to remain cautious and safe, we have to allow local business owners and their employees to be able to provide for their families.”