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ISSA Coronavirus Government Response Update—Senate GOP Introduces Slimmed-Down Relief Bill
September 9, 2020
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 Senate Republicans introducing a “skinny” pandemic relief package, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) encouraging schools to use EPA-approved products to keep students safe, states limiting COVID-related liability, and more.
Senate GOP Introduces Slimmed-Down COVID-19 Relief Bill; Democrats Vow to Block
Senate Republicans unveiled a coronavirus relief plan far smaller than what lawmakers on both sides of the aisle spent weeks arguing over, USA Today reported. The proposal faces an uphill battle to becoming law as Democrats vowed to block what they called a “political ploy” to help endangered Republicans in November that does “not meet the needs of American families and businesses.” The estimated US$300 billion proposal includes bolstered unemployment benefits, funding for schools, and liability protections for businesses and healthcare facilities. ISSA urges members to contact their elected officials using the link below and ask them to “return to the negotiating table” to pass a “safe and healthy workplace” tax credit and additional important proposals as part of the next federal stimulus package.
EPA Encourages Schools and Universities to Use EPA-Approved Products and Disinfectants to Keep Students Safe
As many students across the nation return to school this fall, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reminds school districts and state and local officials to remain vigilant when it comes to cleaning and disinfecting school buildings and facilities by using only products found on EPA’s List N. As part of the efforts to safely reopen schools, EPA continues to work closely with states, local governments, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide up-to-date information to protect public health as school districts, private schools, and universities develop and implement COVID-19 re-entry plans for their students, staff, and parents. The EPA also is working to combat impostor disinfectant products from being marketed online with potentially dangerous claims of protection against the novel coronavirus.
States Act to Limit COVID-Related Liability
A number of states have acted to protect businesses, caregivers, schools, and government itself from liability relating to injury and death resulting from COVID-19. Dozens of bills have been put forward in recent months, all creating a shield against civil liability in the absence of definitive proof that a specific act on the order of “gross negligence” can be connected to a specific injury.
Other links of interest
- Take Action: Tell Your Elected Officials to ‘Return to the Negotiating Table’
- Save Your Seat: A Government Affairs Update on the Cleaning Industry & COVID-19
- Registration Now Open: Cleaning Products – A Regulatory Review
- Spike in Workplace COVID-19 Suits Only Starting, Report Says
- Coronavirus Regulations: A State-By-State Week in Review
