Pennsylvania’s chief fiscal watchdog on Tuesday criticized a state program under which businesses could seek permission to operate during Governor Wolf’s pandemic shutdown, saying waivers were granted inconsistently and with little transparency and comparing the process to a “Keystone Kops routine."
The audit thus far has shown there were more than 500 businesses that initially were denied a waiver or granted one only to have the answer change later.
In a Zoom call with reporters, Auditor General Eugene DePasquale said, “The waiver program appeared to be a subjective process built on shifting sands of changing guidance, which led to significant confusion among business owners.”