Auditor General Eugene DePasquale said he will audit how the Department
of Community and Economic Development (DCED) has managed the waiver
process for businesses that appealed Gov. Tom Wolf’s COVID-19 shutdown
order. “Some business owners complained that the department’s waiver
process was too slow and not transparent enough,” DePasquale said. “My
audit is intended to help make sure that the waiver process is managed
more smoothly should it be necessary to use it again in the future.”
On March 19, Wolf ordered that businesses that were not categorized as
“life-sustaining” must close their physical locations to help slow the
spread of COVID-19, which has so far claimed the lives of nearly 2,200
Pennsylvanians and rising. More than 40,000 businesses sought a waiver
from the governor’s closure order through a process managed by DCED. The
waiver application period ended April 3.
“I’m pleased that Governor Wolf agrees that performing this audit is
both appropriate and necessary,” DePasquale said. “I’m also pleased that
DCED Secretary Dennis Davin has pledged to fully cooperate with my
audit team.”
DePasquale said he is pleased by the bipartisan interest in the audit;
Senate Republicans requested it earlier in the week. The audit process
will begin immediately and results will be made public upon conclusion.
DePasquale’s department continues to operate remotely while state office
buildings remain closed. Learn more about the Department of the Auditor
General online at
www.PaAuditor.gov.
