AN UPDATE FROM NAW GOVERNMENT RELATIONS TEAM - 6.8
As the Coronavirus Pandemic continues to impact the United States economy and businesses across the nation, it can be hard to decipher how new regulations and laws may impact your business. To help you manage these issues, starting today NAW is providing information about government actions, webinars and seminars that you may find useful as businesses re-open. Please see Section 3 below.
Latest on the Main Street Lending Program
Fed officials continue to say that they will have the facility stood up in a matter of days, but as of today, they have announced no launch date. We will continue to monitor the Federal Reserve for information and provide you with any relevant and timely updates.
Latest on Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act
On Friday, President Trump signed the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act into law. As Politico reported last week, this is by no means the last major change in store for the program. Several Senators are already planning to address what they say are drafting errors in the bill President Trump signed that could create unintended consequences.
Senator Marco Rubio argues that the bill's language makes that 60 percent requirement a "cliff" in which businesses would lose partial loan forgiveness if they spent a substantial amount on payroll but fell short of the threshold. The SBA and Treasury have not said publicly how they will interpret the language. Senator Rubio said the administration made a commitment to addressing the bill's "inadvertent technical errors" but he added that Congress would need to pass a fix if the agencies didn't get it done.
To read the full story in Politico, click HERE.
Latest on Economic Recovery and Re-opening the Workplace
As the Coronavirus Pandemic continues to impact the United States economy and businesses across the nation, it can be hard to decipher how new regulations and laws may impact your business. To help you manage these issues NAW is providing information about reports, webinars and seminars that you may find useful:
From Littler Law Firm:
Facing Your Face Mask Duties – A List of Statewide Orders, as of June 5, 2020
Governors and public health officials across the country have implemented stringent measures to help contain the spread of COVID-19, such as stay at home orders. Yet even as businesses begin to re-open, face coverings are likely to remain popular as a preventative measure. Numerous jurisdictions have encouraged—or mandated—citizens to wear face coverings when out in public, especially when social distancing cannot be maintained effectively. Some directives also obligate employers to provide masks to their employees. Littler will update the list regularly but expect it will become outdated quickly as new announcements are made.
Last week, President Trump signed an executive order that directed the departments of Interior, Agriculture, Defense, and Army Corps of Engineers to expedite permitting process for major infrastructure projects. The White House hopes that the Executive Order will help the nation recover job losses from the coronavirus pandemic.
You can view the Executive Order HERE.
The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) continues to provide guidance to assist employees and employers with maintaining safe and healthy working conditions during the coronavirus pandemic. This guidance will be particularly useful as states continue to re-open.
General Guidance for All Workers and Employers:
Both OSHA and CDC regularly update their webpages with reopening guidance relevant to the business community:
- MailScanner has detected a possible fraud attempt from "gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com" claiming to be https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/covid-19/
- https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/organizations/businesses-employers.html
OSHA has also released general guidance for preparing workplaces for COVID-19:
In addition to the general guidance above, OSHA frequently issues specific guidance tailored to specific industries:
Stateside Associates publishes a daily report about State and Local Government responses to the evolving situation.
To read their latest report, click HERE.
We are also providing a link to a spreadsheet that includes state and local COVID-19 response information provided by MultiState Associates.
- To view their spreadsheet, go to:
Jade West, Chief Government Relations Officer
Blake Adami, Vice President-Government Relations
Seth Waugh, Associate Vice President-Government Relations
National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors
The above information and links to other information has been prepared by NAW for the general information of NAW members. It is not intended to, and does not, provide tax, legal or professional advice concerning any specific matter. You should not act on the information without first obtaining professional advice and counsel.