Policy News – July 22, 2020

Last Friday, the House Committee on Small Business held a hearing entitled, “Oversight of the Small Business Administration and Department of Treasury Pandemic Programs” to hear from Steven Mnuchin, Secretary of the U.S. Treasury (Treasury), and Jovita Carranza, the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA), regarding small business assistance programs created by the CARES Act, namely the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, and additional policies. Please click here to view a memo and here to view particular details of the hearing.

On Monday, the Department of Labor released additional guidance on Wage and Hour Rules, Family and Medical Leave as Workplaces Reopen. The guidance includes commonly asked questions and answers that address critical issues in all three laws. For further details, click here.

 

FLOOR PROCEEDINGS

House:  In Session

Senate: In Session

 

COMMITTEE PROCEEDINGS

House Committee on Small Business

  • On Wednesday, July 22nd, at 1 PM, the Committee will hold a hearing titled “21st Century SBA: An Analysis of SBA’s Technology Systems.”

House Committee on Financial Services

  • On Thursday, July 23rd, at 10:30 AM, the Committee will hold a hybrid hearing titled “The Heroes Act: Providing for a Strong Economic Recovery from COVID-19.”
  • On Thursday, July 30th, at 12:30 PM, the Committee will hold a hybrid hearing titled “Protecting Consumers During the Pandemic? An Examination of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.”

Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship

  • On Thursday, July 23rd, at 10:00 AM, the Committee will hold a hearing titled “Capital Access for Minority Small Businesses: COVID-19 Resources for an Equitable and Sustainable Recovery.” 

Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

  • On Wednesday, July 22nd, at 9:30 AM, the Committee will hold a hearing titled “US-China: Winning the Economic Competition.”

 

BILLS OF INTEREST

  • Rep. Rick Crawford (R-AR-1) introduced HR 7680 to provide for loans to critical rural utility service providers to ensure continued service and safe operation of rural utility systems during certain emergencies.
  • Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA-37) introduced HR 7673 to ensure the United States diplomatic workforce at all levels reflects the diverse composition of the United States.
  • Rep. Filemon Vela (D-TX-34) introduced HR 7671 to provide for the establishment of a COVID-19 Small Business Recovery Fund.
  • Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) introduced S 4227 to improve access to economic injury disaster loans and emergency advances under the CARES Act.
  • Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) introduced S 4217 to amend the Small Business Act to include hospitals serving rural areas or areas of persistent poverty in the paycheck protection program.
  • Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) introduced S 4214 to provide a payroll tax credit for certain expenses associated with protecting employees from COVID-19.
  • Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) introduced S 4213 to exclude from income and payroll taxes compensation received by front-line employees during the COVID-19 emergency.
  • Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA-28) introduced HR 7691 to amend subtitle A of title II of division A of the CARES Act to provide Pandemic Unemployment Assistance to individuals with mixed income sources. 

 

AT THE AGENCIES

U.S. Department of Labor

  • The Department of Labor published a news release titled “US Department of Labor and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 12 Agree to New Collective Bargaining Agreement.”

U.S. Department of Commerce

  • The Department of Commerce published a news release titled “Commerce Department Adds Eleven Chinese Entities Implicated in Human Rights Abuses in Xinjiang to the Entity List.”