Nov. 01, 2021
HARRISBURG – State Rep. Mike Armanini (R-Clearfield/Elk) is objecting strongly to Gov. Tom Wolf’s plan to give employees in his administration five days of paid time off if they receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
“The governor is stepping way out of bounds in accessing taxpayers’ wallets to entice his employees to get vaccinated,” Armanini said. “Receiving the vaccine is a choice that should be made freely. What he’s doing is a practice that should be limited to the private sector, where the owner would be using his or her own money. Gov. Wolf is treating his constituents like a credit card with no spending limit in trying to persuade his workers, with this ‘charge’ costing taxpayers more than $100 million, according to the Treasury Department.”
Armanini wants it to be clear that the benefit is being offered to employees who work for the Wolf administration, not the state Legislature. Eligible employees who have received both doses of a CDC-approved two-dose COVID-19 vaccine or one dose of single-dose vaccine by Dec. 31, 2021 will receive five days of leave time to be used between Dec. 20, 2021 and March 31, 2022. They will be paid for any of the five days they choose to not use.
“We have local businesses owners who are struggling to keep their doors open after being forced to close during the pandemic,” added Armanini. “Now those same owners and their workers are being forced to help foot the bill so a ‘carrot’ can be dangled in front of government employees, while they themselves may have chosen to get vaccinated on their own because they think it’s the right thing.
Questions about this or any legislative issue should be directed to Armanini’s DuBois district office at 814-375-4688 or his St. Marys district office at 814-781-6301.
Representative Mike Armanini
75th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives