Senator Loeffler Votes for Pro-Worker, Pro-Job Creator Amendment to House Bill

Loeffler Cosponsored Alternative to Flawed House Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) today voted for an amendment to improve legislation to address the economic impact of COVID-19 on American workers.
 
The amendment to H.R. 6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, would change how the legislation would fund relief for workers. Rather than placing the burden on small businesses who are already strapped for cash, this would use existing state unemployment trust funds supplemented by federal resources to aid workers and businesses impacted by the virus.
 
Loeffler cosponsored the measure. She was joined by U.S. Senators Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), David Perdue (R-Ga.) and Ben Sasse (R-Nebr.) in proposing an alternative to the House legislation.
 
“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and in a time of need, we must work to empower our job creators, not burden them with additional mandates,” said Loeffler. “By creating a one-size-fits-all federal mandate regarding leave for employees, the House legislation falls short of providing real economic relief and would exacerbate the problem by forcing small businesses to bear the brunt. As the country works together to get through the challenges caused by the coronavirus, Congress must be thoughtful in its efforts to support workers and their employers. This amendment creates a sensible approach to ensure that our nation’s workers get the assistance they need without punishing small businesses.”
 
Background on the amendment:

• Removes mandates on small businesses from H.R. 6201 that will do economic harm and jeopardize employers’ chances of still being in business once the coronavirus emergency has passed;
• Creates a Temporary Emergency Federal Unemployment Insurance Program in which states must expand eligibility for unemployment insurance benefits for individuals who cannot work due to the coronavirus;
• Waives waiting periods for unemployment insurance benefits;
• Retroactively applies eligibility for these benefits to March 1, 2020;
• Requires the federal government to reimburse states for the full costs of expanding the eligibility that is above and beyond each state’s current unemployment insurance law; and
• Ends the Temporary Emergency Federal Unemployment Insurance Program either when the president ends the coronavirus emergency declaration or on December 31, 2020.