H.R. 6201 'Coronavirus' bill

[Let'sgoflying!]

This bill which is expected to pass this week provides.....

"the right to take job-protected leave. The leave can be used for quarantine due to exposure to or symptoms of coronavirus; to care for an at-risk family member quarantined due to exposure to or symptoms of coronavirus; and to care for a child of an employee if the child’s school or child care has been closed or is unavailable due to coronavirus."

My understanding is that it affects small businesses.
I don't take issue with the bill/law but as a SB owner, if it affects me, I will need to start preparing financially to provide for the bill's requirements.

Is it saying that if an employee's child can't go to school so that the employee must stay home with child, after 14 days I will need to make that employee's paycheck (without expectation of government recompense)?

 

[denverpilot]

Pretty wild. A lot of small businesses are as hand to mouth as the staff. Can’t really mandate payment of cash that doesn’t exist.

Will admit, I haven’t read the bill. I assume there’s a senate version that’ll have to be reconciled, and the senate is in a passing mood?

 

[SoonerAviator]

I believe the idea is that the govt will reimburse the employers for the cost of paying the leave of absence due to covid-19. Other than floating the loan, the employer shouldn’t be out any money at least the way I understood it. It’s tough to write a bill like that which can be effective without causing employees to flat out refuse to work since they know they’ll get paid either way.

 

[Let'sgoflying!]

That's what they are saying, Nate. No one wants to be the person who wouldn't help voters.
I have one employee who might need the leave (has child) but this one insists on constantly traveling. Should really be exclusions for high-risk activity (empl goes to city for recreation, potentially exposing everyone back home in this small town)

 

[denverpilot]

That's what they are saying, Nate. No one wants to be the person who wouldn't help voters.
I have one employee who might need the leave (has child) but this one insists on constantly traveling. Should really be exclusions for high-risk activity (empl goes to city for recreation, potentially exposing everyone back home in this small town)

Interesting problem.

We announced we are sending the majority of staff home but we don’t have, and wouldn’t get if we tried, enough laptops to provide for everyone. We’d probably chuck the bring your own device rules out the window if they have a home machine they can use, we’d just put our security software on it and VPN.

Because we did plan for some business continuity the network can handle it, but their home ISP will probably be overloaded hot garbage once everyone in the city tries to work from home.

But we can send desk phones home and most folks. They evaluated folks at risk and took volunteers to come in also. Looks like it’ll work for the time being.

Pretty much it works out if you’re single or married without kids or critical staff, you’re coming in. That’s been the story of my life without kids, so no surprise there. Ha. I cover for the parents, they leave me alone in the early mornings unless the sky is falling. It’s always been a fair trade! Ha. They’d evaluate me as stay home being immunosuppressed anyway. We kicked those folks and autoimmune folks out first. A number have said they’re super grateful.

But I’m out here doing the medical thing anyway.

So I’ve offered to help when and where I can far remotely. So far no assignments but they’re leaving me alone as much as possible. I monitor chat and will grab whatever I can. I’m sure a couple systems will have some load issues.

Short version, we can run our stuff with home workers if their internet holds up. Otherwise it gets messy.

A friend has a family member coming home from Portland soon. He, no kidding, built a separate comfortable home quarantine for her. Might figure out if you can do the same gingerly with your traveler? Awkward.

 

[Craig]

Around our place, they are telling management to work from home if possible, but us hourlies need to come in without fail....Kinda hard for us to work from home, but would be fun to have a jet in the driveway and need to do a full power engine run....

 

[bflynn]

Pretty wild. A lot of small businesses are as hand to mouth as the staff. Can’t really mandate payment of cash that doesn’t exist.

Will admit, I haven’t read the bill. I assume there’s a senate version that’ll have to be reconciled, and the senate is in a passing mood?

from what I’ve read, no. The Senate is still considering FISA reauthorization. It may be the end of the week unless Senators vote to suspend FISA and bring this bill up early.

The House bill is said to have technical issues and apparently sufficient time to read it was not provided prior to the vote. Reps voted it on without knowing everything that’s in it. Expect the bill to be unpacked this week and not discussed here.

 

[luvflyin]

This bill which is expected to pass this week provides.....

"the right to take job-protected leave. The leave can be used for quarantine due to exposure to or symptoms of coronavirus; to care for an at-risk family member quarantined due to exposure to or symptoms of coronavirus; and to care for a child of an employee if the child’s school or child care has been closed or is unavailable due to coronavirus."

My understanding is that it affects small businesses.
I don't take issue with the bill/law but as a SB owner, if it affects me, I will need to start preparing financially to provide for the bill's requirements.

Is it saying that if an employee's child can't go to school so that the employee must stay home with child, after 14 days I will need to make that employee's paycheck (without expectation of government recompense)?

Looks like you have to pay it on normal paydays. You get it back in a Tax Credit. Hopefully you got enough money to cover until Tax Time. Here’s the bill. Note the penalties for Employer non compliance.
https://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20200309/BILLS-116hr6201-SUS.pdf

 

[RyanB]

I believe the idea is that the govt will reimburse the employers for the cost of paying the leave of absence due to covid-19. Other than floating the loan, the employer shouldn’t be out any money at least the way I understood it.

That is the way I interpret as well.

 

[Kenny Phillips]

I'm letting all of my people work from home. Which I've done for the last five years! So we've been working as usual.
I do realize that a lot of jobs won't work that way. And I do realize that probably millions of people that could safely work may take advantage of this, and not work.
The tax credit is obviously on the wrong side of the paycheck here.

 

[luvflyin]

That's what they are saying, Nate. No one wants to be the person who wouldn't help voters.
I have one employee who might need the leave (has child) but this one insists on constantly traveling. Should really be exclusions for high-risk activity (empl goes to city for recreation, potentially exposing everyone back home in this small town)

What is your schedule for making Tax payments? Quarterly Estimates? If so the next one is probably in just a couple weeks. You can make the Quarterly payment based on your estimated Tax liability at the end of the year. Knowing the Credit is coming you should be able to 'recoup' what the sick leave is costing very soon.

 

[jbarrass]

That is the way I interpret as well.

Unfortunately, The Feds "may" provide a tax credit (which we "may" see with tax filings in 2021). Nothing I read in the bill will cover things like insurance & taxes & overhead. So in addition to the year-long float, the costs are real and significant that many small businesses will fold. Most small businesses fail for inability to handle the cash flow.