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COVID- 19 Update

by | Jul 20, 2020 | Blog | 0 comments

Below are links to updates on legislation, regulation and guidance on both the federal and state levels in response to COVID-19.

Congress

  • During an interview on CNN, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi indicated “we absolutely have to” delay or cancel the August recess for the chamber in order to complete negotiations and reach an agreement with the Senate on the next coronavirus relief package.
  • Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) continues to outline aspects of his COVID-19 relief package, which is expected to be released this week.
  • Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Patty Murray (D-WA) released a white paper outlining a number of proposals to ensure COVID-19 vaccines are safe, effective, high quality, produced at scale, allocated in a manner that optimizes public health and reduces health disparities, free and accessible to everyone, and widely embraced by the public in order to end the pandemic and set the country on a path for economic recovery.
  • Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) announced the COVID-19 Bias and Anti-Racism Training Act, legislation to ensure health providers and other individuals involved in COVID-19 testing, treatment, vaccine distribution, and response receive bias and anti-racism training.
  • Senate Democrats unveiled a proposal, the Economic Justice Act, which would offer $350 billion in child care, job training, health care, and minority community investments.
  • Representative Mike Kelly (R-PA) introduced H.R. 7538, the Essential Workforce Parity Act, which would extend paid leave required by the Families First Coronavirus Relief Act (FFCRA) to health care workers and offer liability protections to hospitals and other medical providers from certain lawsuits during the COVID-19 emergency declaration.
  • Representatives Joseph Morelle (D-NY) and Mark Takano (D-CA) introduced legislation to create a massive new jobs training program to combat COVID-19 and help communities across the country safely re-open.
  • Representative Tom Rice (R-SC) will introduce legislation to provide a tax credit for businesses to safely reopen and pay for extra safety measures amid the coronavirus pandemic.
  • Ways and Means Republicans introduced two new bills as part of their policy agenda to help Americans returning safely to a healthy workplace.
  • Representatives Mike Thompson (D-CA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Bill Johnson (R-OH), David Schweikert (R-AZ), and Doris Matsui (D-CA) introduced the Protecting Access to Post-COVID-19 Telehealth Act, which would continue the expanded use of telehealth beyond the coronavirus pandemic by eliminating restrictions on the use in Medicare, providing a bridge for patients currently using the practices because of the crisis, and requiring a study on the use of telehealth during COVID-19.
  • Representative Cedric Richmond (D-LA) introduced the COVID Testing Transparency Act, which would require the Trump Administration to share COVID-19 testing data with Congress and the public.

Administration

  • White House spokesman Judd Deere issued a statement that President Trump will not sign into law a phase four coronavirus relief package that does not include a payroll tax cut.
  • The Department of Labor announced a Request for Information regarding the impact of paid family and medical leave on America’s workforce.
  • The Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) announced significant steps to streamline optional-use forms that workers can use to request and employers can use to coordinate leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
  • The Small Business Administration (SBA) issued a procedural notice, which informs Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) lenders of the reporting process and collection of processing fees.
  • The Federal Reserve announced an extension of a rule change to bolster the effectiveness of the SBA’s PPP.
  • HHS, through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), announced it will begin distributing $10 billion in a second round of high impact COVID-19 area funding to hospitals starting next week.

States

  • The White House provided a readout from Vice President Pence’s governors briefing on COVID-19 response and best practices.
  • Track where all 50 states stand on reopening here.
  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released resources to assist states to reopen.
  • CMS has approved over 200 requests for state relief in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including recent approvals for Alaska, Iowa, Hawaii, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, and Virginia.