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Congress Passes CARES Act – A $2 Trillion Coronavirus Relief Bill

Posted by Viventium | March 28, 2020

The U.S. House of Representatives has just passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. This bill is set to aid businesses and displaced workers struggling through the COVID-19 pandemic. The $2 trillion response bill was passed by the U.S. Senate earlier in the week and is expected to be signed into law by President Trump. The groups that will benefit from the bill are individuals, businesses, public health and health care organizations, state and local governments, education and safety net programs. What some of the highlights of the CARES Act?

Direct payments of up to $1,200 for millions of Americans
A deferment of the payment of the employer portion of Social Security Tax
A payroll tax credit for certain employers who retain employees
$250 billion to bolster unemployment insurance
Over $350 billion in loans to small businesses that may be forgiven if workers are kept on payroll
Over $500 billion in aid for distressed companies including airlines
- This includes a fully refundable tax credit that covers to 50 percent of payroll on the first $10,000 of compensation, including health benefits, for each employee.
Over $100 billion in aid to hospitals and home health providers

As laws and regulations quickly change in order to mitigate the impact of COVID-19, Viventium has compiled a list of the latest state regulations to keep you up to date. California Under Executive Order N-33-20, effective March 19, 2020, all individuals living in the state of California are mandated to stay at home, except those individuals who qualify as central infrastructure workers. For more details on these restrictions, click here. California has also released an FAQ clarifying that employees can use California paid sick leave for absences due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For a copy of the FAQ, click here. Colorado Under the Colorado Executive Order D 2020 017, effective March 26, 2020, Colorado residents are ordered to stay at home, and non-critical businesses must close, except for essential operation. For a copy of the law, click here. Connecticut Under Executive Order No. 7H, effective March 23, 2020, all non-essential workers are ordered to stay home. Connecticut has provided an FAQ. Delaware Effective March 24, Delaware Governor Carney issued an executive order directing all nonessential businesses to close and ordering all Delaware residents to stay at home whenever possible. For more details on the order, guidance on what constitutes an essential business, and an FAQ, click here. Florida Under Executive Order 20-83, effective March 25, 2020, vulnerable populations are directed to stay at home. For a copy of the order, click here. Georgia Under Executive Order No. 03.13.20.01, effective March 24, 2020, certain medically fragile people are mandated to stay at their homes or places of residence. For a copy of the order, click here. Hawaii Effective March 25, 2020, all Hawaii residents are ordered to stay at home and work from home. The Office of the Governor can be emailed for information on exemptions. For more details on the order, click here. Illinois Under Executive Order 2020-10, effective March 21, 2020, all Illinois residents are ordered to stay at home, and non-essential businesses must cease operations, except for basic minimum operations. For a copy of the order, click here. For a list of FAQs provided by Illinois, click here. Indiana Under Executive Order 20-08, effective March 24, 2020, all Indiana residents are ordered to stay at home, and non-essential businesses must cease operations. For a copy of the order and details of what is considered an essential business, click here. For a list of FAQs provided by Indiana, click here. Louisiana Under Proclamation 33 JBE 2020, effective March 23, 2020, all Louisiana residents are mandated to stay at home, and only essential business operations can continue. For a copy of the order, click here. Massachusetts Under Order No. 13, effective March 24, 2020, all Massachusetts residents are advised to remain home, and all non-essential businesses are to be closed. For a copy of the order, click here. For guidance on what constitutes an essential business, click here. Michigan Under Executive Order 2020-21, effective March 24, 2020, all Michigan residents are directed to remain home, and all non-essential businesses are to be closed. For a copy of the order, click here. Minnesota Under Executive Order 20-20, effective March 27, 2020, Minnesota residents are ordered to stay at home. Only critical business activities should take place. For a copy of the order, click here. For an FAQ, click here. Montana Under Executive Orders 2-2020 and 3-2020, effective March 28, 2020, Montana residents are ordered to stay at home, and non-essential business operations must cease. For a copy of the order, click here. Nevada Nevada has issued guidance on the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on Nevada’s new paid sick leave laws that went into effect on January 1, 2020. For a link to the guidance, click here. New Jersey Under Executive No. 107, effective March 21, 2020, gatherings of individuals in New Jersey are prohibited, residents are directed to stay at home, and non-essential businesses are to be closed. For a copy of the order, click here. New Hampshire Under Emergency Order #17, effective March 27, 2020, New Hampshire residents are ordered to stay home, and essential businesses must close. For a copy of the order, click here. For guidance on what constitutes an essential business, click here. New Mexico Under a public health order, effective March 23, 2020, restrictions are placed on gatherings of individuals in New Mexico, residents are directed to stay at home, and non-essential businesses are to be closed. For a copy of the order, click here. New York Under the “New York on PAUSE” executive order, effective March 22, 2020, workers in non-essential businesses are ordered to stay home. For a copy of the order, click here. For guidance on what constitutes an essential business, click here. Effective March 18, 2020, New York enacted an emergency paid sick leave law providing paid leave benefits and job protection to New York workers. For a copy of the legislation, click here. Ohio Under a director’s order from the Ohio Department of Health, effective March 23, 2020, all Ohio residents are directed to stay at home, unless engaged in essential activities. For a copy of the order, click here. Oregon Under Executive Order 2020-12, effective March 23, 2020, all Oregon residents are directed to stay at home, and many businesses have been ordered to close. For a copy of the order, click here. Washington State Under Proclamation 20-24, effective March 23, 2020, all Washington residents are directed to stay home whenever possible. Effective March 25, 2020, workers in non-essential businesses are directed to stay home. For a copy of the order, click here. Washington has released a “Common Questions” document providing guidance on the state’s paid sick leave laws in relation to COVID-19. For a copy of the guidance, click here. West Virginia Under Executive Order 9-20, effective March 24, 2020, all West Virginia residents are directed to stay at home, and businesses are to reduce their in-office workforce to essential workers. For a copy of the order, click here. Wisconsin Under Health Order #12, effective March 25, 2020, all Wisconsin residents are directed to stay at home, and non-essential businesses and operations must cease. For a copy of the order, click here. Note: This list was last updated on March 27, 2020. Information may have changed since that date. Please consult your legal counsel for the latest guidance. As more details emerge on the CARES Act and other regulations Viventium will continue to keep you updated on any payroll related legislation. For the latest updates, please visit the Viventium resources page.

This information is for educational purposes only, and not to provide specific legal advice. This may not reflect the most recent developments in the law and may not be applicable to a particular situation or jurisdiction.

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