I previously wrote about how the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (“ARPA”) created a $28.6 billion dollar Restaurant Revitalization Fund to help struggling food and beverage businesses. While the fund was created in March,...more
Following is additional information regarding the Pennsylvania state grant money that is available to hospitality businesses who suffered lost profits in 2020 due to COVID-19.
Additional federal grant money will soon be...more
Allegheny County announced that its COVID-19 Hospitality Industry Recovery Program (CHIRP) will begin accepting applications at noon on Monday, March 15 at https://alleghenycounty.us/CHIRP. The program allows businesses in...more
The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry’s municipal authority and municipality bidding thresholds will rise 1.4 percent in 2021. The Department published its bidding thresholds for 2021 under Act 90 of 2011....more
Restauranteurs across Pennsylvania breathed a collective sigh of relief this week as the three-week ban on indoor dining ordered by Governor Tom Wolf and Secretary of Health Rachel Levine came to an end. A struggling industry...more
1/6/2021
/ Business Closures ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Due Process ,
Equal Protection ,
First Amendment ,
Fourteenth Amendment ,
Governor Wolf ,
Injunctive Relief ,
Irreparable Harm ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Shelter-In-Place
On Thursday, July 23, 2020, Governor Tom Wolf signed into law Act 75 of 2020 (introduced as S.B. 1125) that allows school districts the option to extend their real estate tax discount periods and their base periods, as well...more
Pennsylvania restaurants and diners alike rejoiced as Governor Wolf announced that outdoor dine-in service can resume in “yellow phase” counties, including Allegheny, beginning as soon as next Friday, June 5th. With this...more
Restaurants, bars, and hotels have experienced tough financial times since the coronavirus pandemic started. Government action forced restaurants to close dine-in service, resulting in mass layoffs and a pivot to take-out and...more
Business owners have described the moment they read the letter from their insurance company denying them coverage for business interruptions losses as “lowest point of this [COVID-19] experience.”
Business interruption...more
4/21/2020
/ Business Interruption ,
Business Losses ,
Commercial Insurance Policies ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Denial of Insurance Coverage ,
Insurance Claims ,
Insurance Industry ,
Insurance Litigation ,
Policy Exclusions ,
Policy Terms ,
Proposed Legislation
On April 14, 2020, the Pennsylvania House voted (202-0) to approve legislation to ensure municipalities can continue to operate during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since Governor Wolf’s March 6, 2020 emergency declaration,...more
COVID-19 has impacted every facet of our lives, including the way municipalities conduct public meetings. An amendment to House Bill 1564 cruised through the State House on Wednesday, March 25, 2020, (190-0) and is heading to...more
The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry’s municipal authority and municipality bidding thresholds will rise 1.8 percent in 2020.
The Department published its bidding thresholds for 2020 under Act 90 of 2011. ...more
To those in the hospitality industry, it’s no secret that Pennsylvania liquor licenses are tough to come by. Retail, or “R” liquor licenses, are the type typically associated with a full-service restaurant but are in short...more
10/2/2019
/ Beverage Manufacturers ,
Breweries ,
Distilleries ,
License Fees ,
Liquor Control Boards ,
Liquor Licences ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Retail Licenses ,
Retailers ,
Small Business ,
Wineries
An important amendment to Pennsylvania’s Borough Code (8 Pa. C.S.A. § 101 et seq.) that impacts a Borough’s process for adopting its annual property tax rate took effect on August 30, 2019.
On July 2, 2019, Governor Tom...more
On June 28, 2019, Gov. Tom Wolf signed into law HB 262, which amends Pennsylvania’s Tax Reform Code of 1971 (“Act 13”) to require breweries to pay a 6% sales tax on 25 percent of the retail sale of malt or brewed beverages to...more
No “State-Created Danger” In Student-On-Student Sexual Assault and Harassment Case When The School District Took Precautions To Avoid Sexual Assaults -
Strobel v. Neshannock Township School District, Civil Action No....more
The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry’s municipal authority and municipality bidding thresholds will rise 2.3 percent in 2019.
The Department published its bidding thresholds for 2019 under Act 90 of 2011. ...more
Upper Merion Area School District v. Teamsters Local #384, 165 A.3d 56 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2017). The Commonwealth Court holds that an arbitrator’s decision to reinstate a school bus driver to her position with back pay when the bus...more
6/25/2018
/ Arbitration ,
Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) ,
Drug Testing ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Public Employees ,
Public Policy ,
Public Schools ,
Reinstatement ,
Teamsters ,
Termination ,
Unions
A customer walks out of a restaurant and exclaims to her date “that is the best _______ I have ever tried…nobody can make that dish the way this place does.” A restaurant’s signature appetizer, entrée, or drink often define...more
Sklaroff v. Abington School District, 2017 WL 4582638 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2017). The Commonwealth Court reaffirms a school district’s authority under the Sunshine Act to impose reasonable time limits on citizens’ comments during the...more
Newly elected officials may be surprised to discover their votes and actions have legal implications. Preventing a resident from speaking at a public meeting may result in a violation of the First Amendment and a civil rights...more
A Category 4 slot machine licensee will be authorized to operate no less than 300 and no more than 750 slot machines at a licensed facility (“ Category 4 casino”).
Act 42 prohibits a Category 4 casino from being built...more
Vladimirsky v. School District of Philadelphia, 144 A.3d 986 (Pa. Commw. Ct. 2016). The Commonwealth Court held that a tenured teacher has a constitutionally protected interest in his (or her) employment and can only be...more
Every day, firefighters and emergency medical service (EMS) volunteers across Pennsylvania provide essential services to keep the public safe—and they do it all for free. Unfortunately, volunteer fire companies and EMS...more
L.R. v. School Dist. of Philadelphia et. al. No. 14-4640 (3rd. Cir. Sept. 6, 2016). The Third Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed an Order from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania denying...more