Helping Businesses Get Back to Business

BY ERIC ELGIN

The principal issue we’ve heard about from Washington, D.C., this year has been the national response to the pandemic, and rightly so. As reopening (and reclosing) has begun in most states, lawmakers have shifted their focus to addressing the economic effects postpandemic; thus, we are now seeing some positive proposals that our lawmakers are considering to help businesses get back to business.

Two of these come from the House Ways and Means Committee, where Republican members have introduced two new bills as part of their policy agenda to help Americans returning safely to a healthy workplace. These bills, the Healthy Workplace Tax Credit, introduced by Rep. Tom Rice (R-South Carolina), and the Workplace Testing Tax Credit, introduced by Rep. David Schweikert (R-Arizona), will help businesses safely and responsibly reopen our economy and protect the health and well-being of workers.

The Healthy Workplace Tax Credit will help businesses reopen safely and restore worker and customer confidence. Here’s how: • Encourages and enables businesses to take the recommended steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in their workplaces. • Provides a refundable tax credit against payroll taxes for 50% of the costs incurred by the business for COVID-19 testing, personal protection equipment, disinfecting, extra cleaning, and reconfiguring workspaces. • Is limited to $1,000 per employee for a business’s first 500 employees, $750 per employees for the next

500 employees, and $500 for each employee thereafter. The Workplace Testing Credit would allow businesses of all sizes to safely continue their operations and prioritize the health of their employees: • Provides businesses with a refundable payroll tax credit based on their average number of employees. • Caps the credit between $250 and $500 per employee depending on the size of the business. • Covers 50% of the COVID-19 testing costs for companies working to support and maintain a healthy payroll. Another important development, this one in the Senate, concerns limiting liability of businesses, schools, houses of worship, and community organizations in the event of COVID-19-related lawsuits. This provision is still being negotiated as part of the next phase of relief, but it has the support of major business organizations such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers. To me, it is especially important to shield businesses from being the object of frivolous lawsuits related to COVID-19 illnesses or death. Any organization that has acted in good faith to protect employees and

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customers under guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state governments, or local authorities should be shielded from unjustified legal action. As those of us in our industry heard over the many weeks of AICC videoconferences, all AICC members were particularly mindful of the health, welfare, and safety of their employees and their families, and AICC provided daily and weekly updates of new and revised guidance.

In his column on page 72 in this issue, AICC President Mike D’Angelo points to the many partner organizations working with us in the legislative arena on our members’ behalf. Far from being “accidental,” this is intentional advocacy that benefits our entire industry. Therefore, as we look forward to a post-COVID-19 world, we will work with these partners in promoting legislation to help our businesses get back to business.

Eric Elgin is owner of Oklahoma Interpak and chairman of AICC’s Government Affairs subcommittee. He can be reached at 918-687-1681 or eric@okinterpak.com.