Keystone Today

Gov. Tom Wolf and state legislators including Rep. Emily Kinkead and Senator Lindsey Williams continued their call for the General Assembly to pass legislation that would send $2,000 stimulus payments to eligible Pennsylvania residents.

According to a release by Wolf’s office, this would be through American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds amounting to $500 million from the PA Opportunity Program. Payments would go to households that make $80,000 or less. It is intended for helping families recover from financially from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as help with the increased costs.

“Now is the time to act, and the bill has already been introduced in the General Assembly,” said Wolf. “To the Republican leaders in the General Assembly, I say let’s pass this bill now.”

Wolf and Democratic legislators have continued to get bills passed that would allow for the federal funding or introduce a plan the funds, which if not used by Dec. 31, 2024, will be returned to the federal government. Senate Bill 1204 and House Bill 2531 have been introduced in the Senate and House, but nothing has been acted on. In February, Wolf proposed $1.7 billion to be used from Pennsylvania’s ARPA funds.

“The cost of everything from gas to groceries is a little higher right now than it was just a few weeks ago and for Pennsylvanians living paycheck to paycheck even a small increase in expenses can mean painful decisions like paying for food or rent,” said Wolf. “I see that pain in communities across Pennsylvania and I want to talk about solutions. I want to put $2,000 checks into the hands of Pennsylvanians and families that need it.”

Rep. Kinkead said the funds are “game-changing” for Pennsylvania residents who are struggling to recover from the pandemic and being directly affected by price increases due to “massive inflation and corporate greed.”

A $2,000 check has the power to transform the lives of so many Pennsylvanians and we need to spend the American Rescue Plan dollars soon or return it to the federal government. Why wouldn’t we spend that money as intended – helping the people who need it most? Our Republican majority has refused to work with us on initiatives that would clearly benefit the people – like raising the minimum wage – but they could help Pennsylvanians who have taken a massive pay cut due in inflation by sending out ARPA funds directly to support working families. The time to act is now.”