The U.S. House of Representatives on March 10, 2021, passed the Senate-amended H.R. 1319, the American Rescue Plan (ARP). The ARP provides $1.9 trillion in additional relief to respond to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19)....more
3/11/2021
/ Agricultural Sector ,
American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ,
Biden Administration ,
Broadband ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cybersecurity ,
Defense Production Act ,
Economic Injury Disaster Loans ,
Economic Stimulus ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Native American Issues ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Pending Legislation ,
Popular ,
Public Health ,
Public Schools ,
Relief Measures ,
Residential Leases ,
Residential Property Owners ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Rural Health Care Providers ,
Small Business ,
SNAP Program ,
State and Local Government ,
Tax Credits ,
Transportation Industry ,
Unemployment Benefits ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing
President Joe Biden has proposed an "American Rescue Plan," which was described as an "emergency legislative package to fund vaccinations, provide immediate, direct relief to families bearing the brunt of the COVID-19 crisis,...more
1/22/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Direct Payments to Families and Individuals ,
Earned Income Credit ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Federal Funding ,
FEMA ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medicare ,
Municipalities ,
OSHA ,
Relief Measures ,
Small Business ,
State and Local Government ,
Tax Credits ,
Tribal Governments ,
Unemployment Benefits ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) created the U.S. Small Business Administration's (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to provide relief to small businesses affected by COVID-19 and to...more
On June 3, 2020, Congress sent bipartisan legislation to modify the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to President Donald Trump for his signature. The PPP is a popular loan program...more
As previously reported, in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Federal Reserve and the U.S. Department of the Treasury unveiled two lending programs – the Main Street New Loan Facility (MSNLF) and the Main...more
The president signed into law on March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), providing $2.2 trillion of emergency appropriations. The CARES Act provides a wide range of economic relief...more
4/28/2020
/ CARES Act ,
Congressional Oversight ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
GAO ,
Government Investigations ,
Inspector General ,
Oversight Committee ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
SBA Lending Programs
The CARES Act included language permitting the Federal Reserve Board to establish a "Main Street Lending Program," or other similar program or facility to support lending to small and mid-sized businesses. Toward this end,...more
4/22/2020
/ CARES Act ,
Comment Period ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Credit Facilities ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Stimulus ,
Main Street Lending Programs ,
Main Street New Loan Facility ,
Relief Measures ,
Special Purpose Vehicles ,
Term Sheets ,
U.S. Treasury
The Federal Reserve Board and U.S. Department of the Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on April 9, 2020, announced new and expanded measures aimed at providing up to $2.3 trillion in relief to U.S. businesses, states and...more
Congress has completed three rounds of legislation in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic crisis. These include an $8.3 billion supplemental appropriation (round 1) signed into law on March 6, as well as...more
President Donald Trump on March 27, 2020, signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), providing $2.2 trillion of emergency appropriations. The CARES Act provides a wide range of...more
Congress has completed two rounds of legislation in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and resulting economic crisis. These include an $8.3 billion supplemental appropriation (round 1) signed into law on March 6,...more
Following President Donald Trump's signing of round two legislation, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, into law, all eyes are on the quickly developing round three legislation that is currently being negotiated....more
Following Senate passage of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (round two), the Administration and Senate are already busy finalizing measures to be included in round three, which will be focused on economic distress...more
The House of Representatives has passed a corrections bill for H.R. 6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. The bill will now be considered by the Senate. Key provisions that have attracted significant attention...more
3/17/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Emergency Response ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
HDHPs ,
Paid Leave ,
Pending Legislation ,
Sick Leave ,
State of Emergency ,
Tax Credits ,
Unemployment Insurance ,
Wage and Hour
After passing $8.3 billion in supplemental appropriations for federal agencies to respond to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak earlier this month, Congress is moving forward with its second legislative response, the...more
3/17/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Response ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
HDHPs ,
Paid Leave ,
Pending Legislation ,
Sick Leave ,
State of Emergency ,
Tax Credits ,
Unemployment Insurance ,
Wage and Hour
The Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) imposes a tax on employee wages, and requires contributions from employers in order to fund Social Security and Medicare. Currently, the Social Security portion of FICA tax...more
World health officials are responding to an outbreak of a new respiratory disease called coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The virus that causes COVID-19 was first detected in China in the final days of 2019, and has now...more
The U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Education and Labor on March 11, 2020, held a hearing on The Healthy Families Act (H.R. 1784). The bill, which was introduced in early 2019, requires employers to provide at...more