Author: Lindsay Andrews

The PA Chamber has released the full agenda and speaker lineup for our 2025 Energy and Environmental Conference – including an A-List of the top decisionmakers and thought leaders driving energy and environmental policy across the Commonwealth.

Join us on Tuesday, October 28, at the Sheraton Harrisburg-Hershey from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The morning will kick off with key updates from state and federal leaders, as PA Public Utility Commission Chairman Stephen DeFrank and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency  Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator, Region 3, Amy Van Blarcom Lackey, will deliver important energy and environmental keynotes.

The agenda will also include engaging conversations you won’t want to miss, including:

• Federal and State Policy Changes in Environment and Energy
• Breakout Sessions on PFAS and Permitting Reform Challenges and Solutions
• A plenary session on unleashing Pennsylvania’s full energy potential

Visit with exhibitors, peers, and industry leaders, and earn continuing education credits during this top-tier day of learning and networking!

We can’t wait to greet you there!

The countdown is on for the PA Chamber’s Annual Dinner, and momentum is building—nearly 1,500 Pennsylvania business leaders and elected officials are already registered to attend this premier gathering.

This year’s event promises unmatched insight and inspiration, featuring:

• A fireside chat with General David H. Petraeus, former CIA Director and one of the nation’s most respected strategic minds.
• A keynote conversation with Shaquille O’Neal, legendary NBA champion turned powerhouse entrepreneur, sharing his journey from the court to the boardroom.

Don’t miss your chance to be part of Pennsylvania’s most dynamic business event of the year. Seats are almost sold out—secure yours today and join the leaders shaping the future.

For more information, visit www.ChamberDinner.com.

An updated jobs report has found that nationwide job creation during 2024 was nearly one million fewer than previously reported. Pennsylvania’s nonpartisan Independent Fiscal Office found that last year’s job gains in Pennsylvania were just half of the number originally reported in March.

Citing recently released federal Bureau of Labor Statistics data, the IFO said the revised numbers are based on the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) database, which includes all employers that are part of the state unemployment insurance system and reflects jobs and wage data reported in monthly and quarterly administrative filings. QCEW data for March 2025 show year-over-year job creation of 33,000, with large downward revisions across many industries.

The IFO report said these might be due to policies or expected policies of the new Trump administration “and the availability of federal funding.” The Bureau of Labor Statistics also attributes errors to “non-response” from employers, who are more likely to report gains than losses.

“These revised job numbers show Pennsylvania added fewer positions than initially reported, particularly in healthcare, retail, and social services,” Michael Plummer, Director of Public Affairs for the PA Chamber, said in a news article. “While the underlying trend remains positive, it highlights the urgent need for policies that drive business investment, support entrepreneurship, and create more jobs. The PA Chamber will continue pushing for pro-growth policies that help Pennsylvania compete and encourages our employers to expand and thrive.”

The PA Chamber is promoting these pro-growth policies through the Keystone Initiative – a private-sector-led roadmap to improve the Commonwealth’s long-term economic future through proactive policies that encourage business growth. Among those policies are tax reforms to reduce burdens on existing and prospective businesses, reforms to reduce permitting challenges, expansion of workforce upskilling and reskilling initiatives, and addressing the childcare crisis to support working families and economic participation.

The IFO said this preliminary data can be used to estimate the revisions that will eventually be applied to the March 2025 report.

President Donald Trump said he was using the corrected job numbers, in part, to encourage Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to lower interest rates to help boost the economy. Last week, the Federal Reserve announced it would do so by 0.25 percentage points.

In a major shift, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) recently announced that U.S.-based companies will no longer be required to report beneficial ownership information (BOI) under the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA).

Originally designed to combat financial crime, the CTA had required both domestic and foreign companies to disclose their beneficial owners. The new rule eliminates that obligation for U.S. entities, instead focusing reporting requirements only on foreign companies operating in the U.S.

Foreign entities must adhere to new reporting deadlines:

• Registered before March 21, 2025: BOI reports are due within 30 days of that date.
• Registered on or after March 21, 2025: BOI reports are due within 30 days of receiving notice of effective registration.

This shift follows FinCEN’s February 27 announcement that it would suspend fines and penalties for companies failing to meet prior BOI reporting deadlines. It also aligns with the Treasury Department’s March 2 decision to pause CTA enforcement.

FinCEN is still seeking public comments before finalizing the rule later this year. For more information, see the official FinCEN announcement.

Last week, the White House invited members of the PA Chamber President’s Roundtable and Board of Directors to Washington, D.C., for a “State of the State” economic briefing with senior White House economic advisors. The event was also attended by members of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development and local elected officials.

Speakers included Steve Benjamin, Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor to the President; Natalie Quillian, Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff for Infrastructure Implementation; Don Graves, Deputy Secretary of Commerce; and Chief Economic Advisor to the Vice President Carolina Ferrerosa Young. The officials highlighted ongoing federal investments being made in Pennsylvania and fielded questions from the audience on topics ranging from economic development, permitting reform, public-private partnerships, and more.

The meeting is the latest opportunity PA Chamber members have had this year to engage with high-ranking state and national officials, including U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (I-WV), Governor Josh Shapiro, PA Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman, PA House Speaker Joanna McClinton, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), and more.

PA Chamber President and CEO Luke Bernstein led a panel discussion at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s “Reimagining Futures” forum in Washington, D.C. last week. The panel, titled “The Business Case for Second-Chance Hiring,” explored how businesses can address workforce shortages by employing individuals with nonviolent criminal records.

 

Bernstein began by outlining the workforce challenges facing both Pennsylvania and the nation. “Pennsylvania has 66 available workers for every 100 open jobs,” he said, citing a U.S. Chamber study. “Nationally, we have 8.2 million open jobs and just 7.2 million unemployed workers. That means if every unemployed person went out and found a job tomorrow, we would still have a million openings.”

 

He highlighted how criminal justice reform initiatives can and should be part of a broader strategy to address workforce challenges. Bernstein specifically cited Pennsylvania’s first-in-the-nation Clean Slate law, which has sealed the old criminal records of more than 1.2 million reformed Pennsylvanians, encouraging  them to seek employment and helping employers fill job gaps. The law has been so popular among job seekers and employers that it has been cited as a national model and expanded twice.

 

Panelists included Shea Zwerver, workforce relations manager for Flagger Force (PA Chamber Investor Member), Nan Gibson of JPMorgan Chase’s Policy Center, and Dan Letchinger, senior vice president at Flower Foods. They shared how second-chance hiring has positively impacted their organizations and employees.

 

The discussion centered on how businesses can benefit from expanding their hiring practices to include individuals with criminal records while contributing to positive social outcomes for formerly incarcerated individuals. Panelists encouraged other companies to explore second chance hiring to meet their workforce needs while creating meaningful change.

 

The PA Chamber is proud to support second chance hiring as part of a broader strategy to ensure a skilled, competitive workforce for the future. Other elements of this strategy include efforts in education, childcare, housing affordability, and supporting mass transit. To learn more about our workforce advocacy, please click here.

Last Tuesday, the PA Senate Banking and Insurance Committee advanced Senate Bill 967, legislation that would create an employer-financed system of benefits for app-based gig workers. The PA Chamber supported this bill (CLICK HERE for our memo to the Committee), which now stands before the full Senate for consideration.

As we noted to Committee members, the emergence of the gig economy has allowed individuals to earn a living or supplemental income while deciding for themselves when and for whom they work, providing economic opportunity for many whose lives and schedules may not be conducive to traditional employment.

S.B. 967, sponsored by Sen. Ryan Aument (R-Lancaster) would assess a fee from companies that offer app-based transportation or courier services for a fund to provide benefits for those Pennsylvanians with whom they contract. By establishing a collective fund that is administered by the state, individuals will have more autonomy and could transfer their benefits with them even if they move to a new app-based employer.

The PA Chamber has been actively engaged in public policy related to the gig economy, including opposing proposals backed by organized labor to force independent contractors into employment status.  For example, The Hill newspaper in Washington D.C. published this op-ed last year by PA Chamber Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Alex Halper.

 

Last Tuesday, the Pennsylvania Senate Transportation Committee held the first in a series of hearings focused on optimizing the Commonwealth’s multimodal transportation system. The discussion highlighted both the financial challenges and potential solutions for modernizing infrastructure — particularly considering growing concerns over declining gas tax revenue and the need for a sustainable, long-term transportation funding model.

Through the 2024-25 state budget, the state allocated $80.5 million toward public transit and $80.5 to PennDOT for multimodal improvement projects, though Gov. Josh Shapiro has pushed for an annual $282 million increase in mass transit funding. This discrepancy speaks to a broader challenge in Harrisburg: balancing necessary investments with responsible fiscal management.

The PA Chamber submitted testimony to the Committee outlining our views on transportation infrastructure, mass transit, and funding.

 Challenges and Innovations in Transportation Funding

One of the central issues addressed in the hearing was declining gas tax revenue, particularly as more electric vehicles (EVs) enter the market. Doug Shinkle, transportation program director at the National Conference of State Legislatures, discussed how other states are experimenting with alternative revenue streams such as mileage-based fees, EV fees, and user fees for ride-sharing services.

Shinkle pointed out that states like Pennsylvania must explore diverse funding sources to fill gaps in their budgets. He noted that while mileage-based user fees are one option, they are still in their infancy and have yet to generate significant revenue in other states.

Public Transit’s Role in Economic Development

Paul Skoutelas, president and CEO of the American Public Transportation Association, emphasized in his testimony the critical role public transit plays in Pennsylvania’s economy, particularly in urban areas like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. He highlighted the sector’s resilience through the pandemic, with ridership recovering to about 80 percent of pre-pandemic levels. However, he acknowledged ongoing challenges such as inflation and workforce shortages.

Skoutelas and several committee members discussed how transit systems also play an integral role with economic development efforts, particularly in rural areas where inadequate transportation can limit access to jobs.

PennDOT’s Funding Shortfall and Solutions

PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll testified about the significant funding shortfall facing Pennsylvania’s transportation infrastructure. He estimated the shortfall is $9.3 billion.

While acknowledging that no single solution can address this gap, Carroll supported the governor’s proposal to allocate 1.75 percent of sales tax revenue to fund public transit. He emphasized that sustainable transit and road maintenance funding is essential for the state’s long-term economic health.

Looking Ahead

The hearing underscored a bipartisan consensus that Pennsylvania needs to modernize its transportation funding system to meet the state’s long-term infrastructure and economic needs. The next hearing, scheduled for Oct. 1, will focus specifically on public transit.

The PA Chamber will continue to advocate for forward-thinking transportation policies that ensure sustainable funding and promote economic competitiveness across the Commonwealth. To learn more about our transportation advocacy, click here.

 

It’s just weeks away! Register today for a table or individual tickets and join us for a night of exceptional networking opportunities and an unforgettable program at our 40^th PA Chamber Annual Dinner. The premier event of the year for business, civic, and government leaders across Pennsylvania will be held Monday, October 7th, at the Hershey Lodge – and you won’t want to miss it!

This milestone event promises to be extraordinary, featuring:

• Headliner Serena Williams – The tennis legend will share her insights and experiences on and off the court, including her success as a businesswoman, venture capitalist, producer, and more.
• Political Highlights – Hear from national leading political figures, including U.S. Senator Marco Rubio and a soon-to-be-announced marquee Democratic speaker, about Pennsylvania’s critical role in the presidential and other key down-ballot races.
• Unparalleled Networking – Connect with top executives, decision-makers, and visionaries from across the Commonwealth in a vibrant and engaging setting.

The 40th PA Chamber Annual Dinner is more than just an event – it’s a bipartisan celebration of Pennsylvania’s greatness as we look to move forward with civility and optimism for what we can achieve together. And as the grandest signature event we host each year, it’s an occasion you won’t want to miss!

Secure your place among the dozens of corporate attendees who have already signed up to join us and sponsor! For more details and to register, visit chamberdinner.com, or contact Carly Dubetsky at cdubetsky@pachamber.org.