Over the past year, 139 pages full of regulations for the state of Pennsylvania have been suspended because of the pandemic.

On Tuesday, the Pennsylvania House Majority Policy Committee, chaired by Rep. Martin Causer, R-Turtlepoint, convened a hearing at the Capitol to discuss the impacts of regulatory waivers and suspensions implemented as a result of COVID-19.

The goal of the hearing was to assess which regulations could or should be eliminated for good, and which may need to be reinstated.

“We’ve got a lot of regulations in the state … a whole lot,” Causer said.

The committee heard from a variety of health care providers, as well as representatives from industry and workforce development.

“It really speaks to the fact that we’ve got to take a closer look at the regulations and their impacts,” Causer told The Era after the hearing. “I did learn from it.”

For example, Zach Shamberg, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Health Care Association, testified that long-term care is the second-most regulated industry in the entire United States, behind only nuclear power.

“At the height of the pandemic, if you can believe it, long-term care providers were reporting to seven different databases on a daily or weekly basis,” Shamberg testified. “They were inputting the same exact information every single day. One of the databases is required by 8 a.m. every single day. Yet each database had different definitions for the data. So how you were reporting something at the federal level was different than how you were reporting at the state level.”

“It’s pretty onerous,” Causer said, adding that the Aging and Youth committee will be looking “even more in depth at long-term care regulations.

“Realistically, there are regulations put in place for a purpose, and that’s where we have to closely evaluate what’s reasonable and is there for a purpose,” the legislator said. “We have got to take a closer look at these regulations.”

Causer noted, too, that some of the regulations need to be reinstated to help the state’s economy recover, while others need to be expanded.

“We need to have extensive discussions on telehealth,” Causer said. “We don’t have a law in Pennsylvania authorizing telehealth.”

Yet it was used extensively — and successfully — throughout the state during the pandemic.

“We need to make sure that continues,” Causer said.

At the hearing, Charlotte Chew, vice president of operations for outpatient services for Pyramid Healthcare, and former human services director for McKean County, testified about the importance of telemedicine for people in drug and alcohol treatment.

“The changes in the regulations have improved access to treatment and the client

experience and have resulted in increased engagement in treatment driving better

outcomes for our clients,” she said. “From March of 2020 through March 2021, Pyramid had over 130,000 client activities in our outpatient programs; 64% of them were delivered

through telehealth. Telehealth has positively impacted three challenges to addiction treatment: access, engagement and retention.”

Causer lauded her testimony. “She was able to give some real examples on the regulations and their impact.”

One of the regulations that companies are eager to see return is the seeking work requirement for continued unemployment eligibility.

“I’ve heard about this all over the state, including our area. Employers can’t find people to apply,” Causer explained. “Right now, people don’t have to be looking for work” to continue to collect unemployment benefits.

“We had a manufacturing business from Oil City testify about how many good-paying positions they have open,” he said. The problem is, people are bringing in the same amount or more from unemployment, and have no incentive to return to work.

“These are the same people who will complain to me when the unemployment runs out that they can’t find work,” Causer said. “That’s a regulation that needs to be reinstated. I think it’s necessary.”

In all, the legislator said the hearing — and two before it — have been very useful.

Causer said, “We had a lot of good testimony today and I think it will help us move forward with streamlining these regulations.”