Pennsylvania Manufacturers’ Association has issued a response nearly 24 hours after Governor Wolf issued another Executive Order regarding Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
The order mandates that private, public and quasi-public health care providers and facilities, as well as manufacturers, distributors and suppliers of PPE, pharmaceuticals and other medical resources located within the commonwealth, submit current inventory quantities of PPE, pharmaceuticals and other medical resources to PEMA within five days of today’s order.
David N. Taylor, President & CEO of the Pennsylvania Manufacturers’ Association in response to Governor Wolf’s executive order, dated April 8, 2020, allowing for the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, in coordination with Commonwealth agencies to “commandeer… personal protective equipment, pharmaceuticals, and other medical resources located within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”
“As with his business closure decree of March 19, the Governor’s order came with no warning and no input from employers. The order is excessive, considering that the National Association of Manufacturers has been surveying inventories for weeks. The order is unwarranted, as PMA and other business groups have been working with DCED to establish a portal for manufacturers to retool to fight the pandemic. The order is contradictory because it conflicts with established protocols between Pennsylvania health care institutions. All of these failings could have been corrected if the Governor or his front office staff had sought input from the stakeholders who actually understand these issues.”
Taylor on behalf of PMA membership is perplexed by the Order,
“Many manufacturers in Pennsylvania are retooling and assisting in the efforts to battle the COVID-19 pandemic despite Governor Wolf’s best efforts to shut down supply chains and distribution networks. Having our commonwealth’s manufacturers inventory all personal protective equipment, pharmaceuticals, and other medical supplies for state-directed ‘commandeering’ adds uncertainty, complexity, and anxiety to an already strained relationship between the private sector and state government.”
He added, “Pennsylvania’s industries need a streamlined, cooperative process that respects the private sector, rather than one that micromanages and treats manufacturers like an enemy. Creators have responded, putting in exhaustive hours, changing entire production lines, and donating countless goods to supply the gear and materials needed on the front-lines to fight the pandemic. Furthermore they are doing this despite Governor Wolf’s failure to support any Good Samaritan liability protections for their heroic efforts.”
When asked what next steps should be taken, Taylor replied, “Governor Wolf’s overreaching and extraconstitutional executive order threatens the foundation of the market response needed to battle the COVID-19 pandemic in our commonwealth and across the nation. We call on Governor Wolf to rescind this executive order immediately.”
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