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ISSA Submits Congressional Testimony on Clean Start: Back to Work Tax Credit Act

ISSA submitted written testimony for the U.S. House of Representatives’ Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures’ “Tax Relief to Support Workers and Families during the COVID-19 Recession” hearing that took place on June 18.

In the testimony, ISSA praised Representatives Darin LaHood (R-IL) and Stephanie Murphy (D-FL) for introducing H.R. 7079, the Clean Start: Back to Work Tax Credit Act, as this commonsense, bipartisan bill would ensure that businesses can provide safe and sanitary environments for their employees and customers as they begin to reopen and get back to work.

The Clean Start: Back to Work Tax Credit Act would create a temporary US$25,000 tax credit per location capped at $250,000 per business entity to help offset the costs of:

• Professional cleaning services
• Purchasing cleaning products and sanitary-related equipment, including personal protective equipment
• Training workers on proper cleaning and disinfecting protocols.

“As the economy continues to reopen, we must ensure that businesses have the resources to invest in making sure their workers and customers come back to a safe and clean environment,” said John H. Barrett, ISSA Executive Director. “It is critical that institutional facilities and companies in general significantly improve their cleaning and disinfection practices to reduce the further transmission of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases, and to ensure worker and customer safety and confidence. Guidance issued by industry, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and others call for increased cleaning frequencies and disinfection, all of which will significantly increase costs to businesses at a time when they can least afford it, but when they most need it.”

In particular, ISSA estimates that cleaning expenses will increase labor costs by approximately 50%, and additional equipment and supply costs will increase between 100% and 200%. “These additional and unexpected expenses will be difficult for many businesses to shoulder as they attempt to reopen,” said Rep. LaHood.To view the testimony in its entirety, please click here.

“Health and safety is the number one priority as businesses begin to open up,” Representative LaHood said at the hearing. The Clean Start: Back to Work Tax Credit will allow people to “go back to work safely with a clean, safe, sanitized workplace…ideas like this are very, very important.”

ISSA is working diligently to support the full spectrum of the cleaning industry in the U.S. and worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic, including providing a variety of government affairs resources to support its members during this challenging time. For questions regarding ISSA’s advocacy efforts, including the association’s response to COVID-19, please contact [email protected].