First of Many COVID-19-Related Bills

Earlier this Spring, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act was signed into law. The bill has assisted American workers and families dealing with the effects of COVID-19. This legislation provided many workers with up to two weeks of paid sick leave if they are being tested or treated for COVID-19 or have been diagnosed with the virus. The Joint Committee on Taxation estimates this program will cost $104 billion. The bill also strengthened employers’ unemployment insurance and greater access to diagnostic testing kits for more Americans. The provisions of this bill will run through December 31, 2020. This was the first of many bills intended to ease the burden on American workers suffering from disruption of employment due to COVID-19.

The CARES Act and subsequent stimulus bills tried to assist employers as they tried to navigate keeping workers on payroll during the early weeks of the crisis. In total, the federal government allocated nearly $2.4 trillion in stimulus funds to employees and businesses. Most believe the final piece of a COVID stimulus package will come in the form of a fourth stimulus bill that will address gaps in infrastructure, past-due mortgage and rental payments as well as assistance for utilities that have seen high rates of past due accounts due to non-payment over the summer months.