Signed by President Donald Trump

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that responds to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak by establishing paid sick leave and free coronavirus tests, expanding food assistance and unemployment benefits, and requiring employers to provide additional protections for health care workers.

Highlights:

• Requires an employer to provide paid sick time to each of their employees if that employee is unable to work or telework due to a need for leave because (Division E, Sec. 5102):

• The employee is subject to a federal, state, or local quarantine or isolation order related to COVID-19;

• The employee has been advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine due to concerns related to COVID-19; 

• The employee is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and seeking a medical diagnosis; 

• The employee is caring for an individual who is subject to an isolation order as described above; 

• The employee is caring for their child if their school or place of care has been closed, or the care of such provider is unavailable due to COVID-19 precautions; or

• The employee is experiencing any other substantially similar condition specified by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary of Labor.

• Requires an employee to be entitled to paid sick time as follows (Division E, Sec. 5102):

• For full-time employees, 80 hours; 

• For part-time employees, a number of hours equal to the number of hours that the employee works, on average, over a 2-week period. 

• Requires a group health plan or a health insurance issuer to provide coverage and not impose any cost-sharing requirements, prior authorization or other medical management requirements for services furnished during any portion of the emergency period, including deductibles, copayments, and co-insurance (Division F, Sec. 6001).

• Requires an employer to provide paid leave for each day of leave that an employee takes for 10 days  (Division C, Sec. 3102).

• Authorizes an employer of an employee who is a health care provider or an emergency responder to elect to exclude such employee from the application of the provision in section 3102 of this act (Division C, Sec. 3105).

• Appropriates $500 million to the Department of Agriculture (USDA) for the Food and Nutrition Service, the special supplemental nutrition program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) (Sec. 3, Division A, Title I).

• Appropriates $400 million to the Department of Agriculture for the Commodity Assistance Program for the emergency food assistance program (Sec. 3, Division A, Title I).

• Appropriates $250 million to HHS for Aging and Disability Programs including home-delivered nutrition services, congregate nutrition services, and nutrition services for Native Americans (Sec. 3, Division A, Title V).

• Appropriates $82 million to the Department of Defense, Defense Health Program for health services consisting of SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19 related services (Sec. 3, Division A, Title II).

• Appropriates $30 million to the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration for health services consisting of SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19 related services (Division A, Title V).

• Authorizes the USDA Secretary to establish a waiver for all states for providing meals and meal supplements under qualified programs under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (Division B, Title II, Sec. 2202).

• Specifies that the work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are suspended (Division B, Title III, Sec. 2301) 

• Authorizes states to request waivers to provide certain emergency SNAP benefits (Division B, Title III, Sec. 2302) 

• Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to provide for the making of emergency administration grants in the 2020 fiscal year to state accounts in the Unemployment Trust Fund (Division D, Sec, 4102).

• Increases the Medicaid federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) temporarily by 6.2 percentage points (Division F, Sec. 6008).

• Requires the Secretary of Labor to assist states in establishing, implementing, and improving the employer awareness of short-time compensation programs to help avert layoffs (Division D, Sec. 4101).

• Defines an “employer” or “covered employer” as any person engaged in commerce or in any industry or activity affecting commerce that: (Division E, Sec. 5110):

• In the case of a private individual, employs fewer than 500 employees; and 

• In the case of a public agency or any other entity that is not a private entity, employs 1 or more employees.

• Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to do the following in relation to the public health emergency leave provisions described above (Division C, Sec. 110): 

• Exclude certain health care providers and emergency responders from the definition of eligible employees; and

• Exempt small business with fewer than 50 employees from requirements if the imposition of such requirement would jeopardize the viability of the business. 

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that responds to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak by establishing paid sick leave and free coronavirus tests, expanding food assistance and unemployment benefits, and requiring employers to provide additional protections for health care workers.

Highlights:

• Requires an employer to provide paid sick time to each of their employees if that employee is unable to work or telework due to a need for leave because (Division E, Sec. 5102):

• The employee is subject to a federal, state, or local quarantine or isolation order related to COVID-19;

• The employee has been advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine due to concerns related to COVID-19; 

• The employee is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and seeking a medical diagnosis; 

• The employee is caring for an individual who is subject to an isolation order as described above; 

• The employee is caring for their child if their school or place of care has been closed, or the care of such provider is unavailable due to COVID-19 precautions; or

• The employee is experiencing any other substantially similar condition specified by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary of Labor.

• Requires an employee to be entitled to paid sick time as follows (Division E, Sec. 5102):

• For full-time employees, 80 hours; 

• For part-time employees, a number of hours equal to the number of hours that the employee works, on average, over a 2-week period. 

• Requires a group health plan or a health insurance issuer to provide coverage and not impose any cost-sharing requirements, prior authorization or other medical management requirements for services furnished during any portion of the emergency period, including deductibles, copayments, and co-insurance (Division F, Sec. 6001).

• Requires an employer to provide paid leave for each day of leave that an employee takes for 10 days  (Division C, Sec. 3102).

• Authorizes an employer of an employee who is a health care provider or an emergency responder to elect to exclude such employee from the application of the provision in section 3102 of this act (Division C, Sec. 3105).

• Appropriates $500 million to the Department of Agriculture (USDA) for the Food and Nutrition Service, the special supplemental nutrition program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) (Sec. 3, Division A, Title I).

• Appropriates $400 million to the Department of Agriculture for the Commodity Assistance Program for the emergency food assistance program (Sec. 3, Division A, Title I).

• Appropriates $250 million to HHS for Aging and Disability Programs including home-delivered nutrition services, congregate nutrition services, and nutrition services for Native Americans (Sec. 3, Division A, Title V).

• Appropriates $82 million to the Department of Defense, Defense Health Program for health services consisting of SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19 related services (Sec. 3, Division A, Title II).

• Appropriates $30 million to the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration for health services consisting of SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19 related services (Division A, Title V).

• Authorizes the USDA Secretary to establish a waiver for all states for providing meals and meal supplements under qualified programs under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (Division B, Title II, Sec. 2202).

• Specifies that the work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are suspended (Division B, Title III, Sec. 2301) 

• Authorizes states to request waivers to provide certain emergency SNAP benefits (Division B, Title III, Sec. 2302) 

• Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to provide for the making of emergency administration grants in the 2020 fiscal year to state accounts in the Unemployment Trust Fund (Division D, Sec, 4102).

• Increases the Medicaid federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) temporarily by 6.2 percentage points (Division F, Sec. 6008).

• Requires the Secretary of Labor to assist states in establishing, implementing, and improving the employer awareness of short-time compensation programs to help avert layoffs (Division D, Sec. 4101).

• Defines an “employer” or “covered employer” as any person engaged in commerce or in any industry or activity affecting commerce that: (Division E, Sec. 5110):

• In the case of a private individual, employs fewer than 500 employees; and 

• In the case of a public agency or any other entity that is not a private entity, employs 1 or more employees.

• Authorizes the Secretary of Labor to do the following in relation to the public health emergency leave provisions described above (Division C, Sec. 110): 

• Exclude certain health care providers and emergency responders from the definition of eligible employees; and

• Exempt small business with fewer than 50 employees from requirements if the imposition of such requirement would jeopardize the viability of the business. 

Full Bill Text

Full Bill Text