Gov. Wolf Unveils ‘Back to Work PA’ Plan
Written by Victoria Scialfa on February 23, 2021
Gov. Wolf Unveils ‘Back to Work PA’ Plan
By Hayden Mitman
February 23, 2021
Gov. Tom Wolf unveiled a plan on Feb. 22 that looks to help Pennsylvanians get back to work after the pandemic battered our economy.
With “Back to Work PA,” Wolf plans to inject $3 billion into programs to support the state’s workforce. The funding will be targeted for skills training, job creation and economic development.
The plan is also intended to support those working from home by making high-speed internet access more readily available to Pennsylvanians.
“Right now, businesses need immediate relief. Getting Pennsylvania back on track after the pandemic means getting Pennsylvanians back to work quickly,” Wolf says.
The plan will be funded through an extraction tax on the state’s natural gas industry. Wolf says it will remove obstacles that the pandemic has created.
“It will reduce inequities that hold Pennsylvanians back, it will attract businesses, we hope, back to Pennsylvania and it will help our communities expand their tax bases to help them create new jobs,” he says.
More than 2 million Pennsylvanians have applied for unemployment and the state has paid more than $36 billion in benefits since March of last year.
Sign up for our WLVR weekly newsletter to stay up to date with the latest news from the Lehigh Valley and across Pennsylvania.
Music