On March 14, 2020, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 6201, an emergency relief package intended to mitigate the economic damage stemming from COVID-19.
The legislation provides for short-term paid leave benefits with two weeks of paid sick leave and up to three months of paid family and medical leave. However, large employers with more than 500 employees are exempt from the legislation. H.R. 6201 applies only to government and small business employees who are infected by the virus, quarantined, have a sick family member or are affected by school closings. The bill also limits benefits to individuals who are sick, subject to a quarantine or caring for a family member and excludes “certain health care providers and emergency responders” from the benefits. Companies covered by the policy will receive new tax credits to offset the costs of the mandate and the economic impact of the outbreak.
Most importantly, the bill allows for free coronavirus testing for all, including the uninsured. The testing will be covered by insurance and federal government programs through a number of waivers and a 6.2-percentage point increase in federal payments to Medicaid for states. The bill also includes approximately $1 billion for food security programs aimed at assisting low-income minors and other individuals. These funds will include $500 million for low-income women as well as unemployed mothers with young children and pregnant women who lose their jobs due to the virus. Lastly, the legislation provides for $1 billion in emergency grants for state unemployment insurance. A copy of H.R. 6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, is available here.
The new House legislation is separate from H.R. 6074, the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, that was signed by President Trump on March 6, 2020. A detailed overview of H.R. 6074 is available here.
H.R. 6201, the House bill, now heads to the Senate where voting is not yet set. Senate Leader Mitch McConnell cancelled a planned recess and senators are scheduled to return on Monday.
