It will only increase health inequalities to exempt pubs that do not serve food from this legislation.

This legislation will restore stability and predictability to our health care system when it comes to litigation. We won't see runaway juries driving up health care costs.

We understand their last seven days have been hell. We hope their next seven will be 180 degrees (difference) from that.

Within weeks of signing federal legislation that siphons off more than $39 billion from essential health and human service programs including Medicaid, Child Support and Child Welfare services, the President released a budget that assures, yet again, that Pennsylvania's vulnerable citizens as well as state and local governments will be asked to shoulder an undue and growing fiscal burden.

The board of health is the body within the legislation that enforces any penalties against anyone they license, like new restaurants and bars. Regulations are being formulated now and will be passed. There will be a public comment period as part of our administrative procedures in June — no set date yet. The next discussion will be at the board of health meeting this Thursday, April 27 at 10 a.m. to actually discuss a draft of the regulations.

Earlier this year I referred to this legislation as the health initiative of the century, ... I have no doubt that research will in time justify this statement.