Call to Action Urges Legislators to Allow Real Estate as Life-Sustaining Industry

Editor’s note: The call-to-action has been disabled as the Pennsylvania House of Representatives voted to approve Senate Bill 613 on Tuesday, April 14, 2020. The bill now moves over to the Pennsylvania Senate for concurrence. Links to the call-to-action have been removed from this post.

Pennsylvania Realtors® are asked to contact their state representatives and ask them to vote “yes” on Senate Bill 613 (Mensch, R-Montgomery), as amended, to allow real estate service providers to be designated as a life-sustaining industry.

“Your rapid response to PAR’s call to action is critical. The state House of Representatives will be voting on this bill today. If it passes, the bill will need to return to the Senate to be voted on for a final time,” said Alex Charlton, PAR’s director of public policy. The Senate is expected to reconvene next week.

Since the call-to-action was launched Monday afternoon, more than 5,600 responses have been sent.

The amended legislation would require Pennsylvania to follow federal guidelines for Critical Infrastructure Workers as amended within the Critical Infrastructure Guidelines released on March 28, 2020, by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Pennsylvania is one of just a handful of states that is prohibiting almost all real estate activities.

“The three essentials to life are food, clothing and shelter,” said PAR President William Festa. “Pennsylvania Realtors® are responsible for helping people achieve shelter, but the governor’s orders restrict us from being able to provide those services.”

The Pennsylvania Association of Realtors® is not requesting a return to “business as usual.” Real estate professionals would be following guidelines developed using recommended guidance from the Centers for Disease Control to ensure the safety and protection of consumers as well as real estate professionals.

“Housing is an essential human need,” Festa added. “Respond to PAR’s call-to-action and ask your representative to vote ‘yes’ on Senate Bill 613 to give Pennsylvanians the opportunity to have access to necessary shelter.”