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ISSA Coronavirus Government Response Update—Pelosi Sets Deadline to Approve Stimulus Deal

Welcome to the ISSA Coronavirus Government Response Update. This information is intended to keep our members up to date on government affairs related to the cleaning industry and COVID-19. Today’s update touches on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi setting a 48-hour deadline for her and the White House administration to reach a coronavirus stimulus deal, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)  issuing new loan forgiveness forms, school support staff cuts, and more.

Pelosi Sets 48-Hour Deadline to Approve Stimulus Deal  
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (CA-D) said Sunday that she and U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin must reach an agreement within 48 hours if they want to pass a coronavirus stimulus relief bill before Election Day, CNN reported. “The 48 hours only relates to if we want to get it done before the election, which we do,” Pelosi said. “But we’re saying to them we have to freeze the design on some of these things. Are we going with it or not? And what is the language?” Pelosi is putting pressure on the administration to cut a deal by Tuesday because the legislative process in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate will take time to play out, and it will not be feasible to get a bill passed through both chambers by November 3 if the talks drag on beyond the next couple days. Using the link below, please take a moment to urge your federal elected officials to pass COVID-19 relief now.

SBA Issues New PPP Loan Forgiveness Forms for Some Borrowers
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) issued new Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan forgiveness guidance and documents, according to Cleanfax. The PPP Forgiveness Application Form 3508S and 3508S Instructions are for those small businesses that secured a PPP loan of US$50,000 or less. The most significant benefit of the new form is that employee reductions and salary reductions are no longer penalized. Additionally, the new form does not require submitting mathematical calculations on how the funds were spent, but the form still requires the borrower to submit to the lender evidence that the funds were properly spent. The SBA also has reduced the lender’s responsibility to “verify” the evidence submitted, which should help to expedite the process. ISSA is calling on congressional members to pass additional PPP funds for businesses.

K-12 Support Staff Hit by School Workforce Cuts
There are signs that cuts to K-12 educational jobs are more heavily falling on staff like bus drivers, teacher aides, and custodians, as opposed to teachers, as the coronavirus stresses public budgets and as scores of students across the country attend classes online at home, Route Fifty reported. However, experts caution that it is difficult to get a clear picture of what has been happening with the mix of furloughs, layoffs, and hiring freezes in the sector during recent months. This is partly due to limitations with education employment data, but also because thousands of school districts around the country are making local hiring and staffing decisions based on uncertain financial outlooks, shifting conditions with the virus, and fluctuations in student enrollment levels.

Other links of interest

• Take Action Now: Tell Congress to Pass COVID Relief
• Save Your Seat: Cleaning Products—A Regulatory Review
• Become an ISSA Advocate for Clean and be Entered to Win an Amazon Gift Card
• SBA Coronavirus (COVID-19): Small Business Guidance & Loan Resources
• Reopening the Economy under COVID-19: Tracking Containment