Updates on Issues Discussed In the Last Legislative Watch
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URGENT: Last Day for Small Business PPP Loan Special AccessThe window for small-employer (fewer than 20 employees) PPP loan special access ends today, March 9th at 5pm ET.
You can still apply after this window has closed (through the March 31st deadline), but the exclusive opportunity intended to ensure underserved small employers are given adequate attention will not be taken into consideration. Updates on Issues Discussed In the Last Legislative Watch
Updates on Issues Discussed In the Last Legislative Watch
Updates on Issues Discussed In the Last Legislative Watch:
Nonprofits Call on Federal Leaders to Provide COVID Relief Tailored to NonprofitsOn Friday, January 22, a coalition of nonprofit organizations sent an initial letter to federal leaders urging Congress and President Biden to enact a package of solutions tailored to the needs and realities of nonprofits serving the public good. The letter, after highlighting the unique role of charitable nonprofits in providing pandemic relief and economic recovery, urges federal leaders (President Biden, Speaker Pelosi, and Leaders Schumer, McCarthy, and McConnell) to include provisions in the next COVID relief package that accomplish the following:
Content Credit: National Council Of Nonprofits
2020 Federal Policy RecapBefore we jump into 2021, let's take a look at where we left off in 2020. Below is a brief report on several policy issues from 2020 that impact the nonprofit sector:
The SBA announced late last week that the Paycheck Protection Program will re-open today, January 11, 2021. Here is what you need to know:
Below is the first guidance we've received on the new PPP. We will work to provide any further information as it becomes available.
The United States Small Business Administration, in consultation with the Treasury Department, has recently released additional PPP guidance:
For more information and updates, visit SBA.gov/PPP or Treasury.gov/CARES Possible New Restrictions - Decision at 5:15 pm MT TodayNew COVID-19 Health Order to be Voted on Friday, Dec. 4th @ 5:15pm MT
Central District Health will vote on the proposed order (see below) today, Dec. 4th at 5:15 pm MT. To watch, please follow this link: Live via Youtube. State Now in Stage 3Late this afternoon Governor Little announced the rollback of our Rebound Idaho plan to Stage 3 statewide to combat rapidly rising infections of COVID-19. Here’s what you need to know about that mandate from the Governor’s office:
Self-response and field data collection operations for the 2020 Census will conclude on Thursday, October 15, 2020.
COVID Relief NegotiationsLast week, the House passed a revised Heroes Act (Heroes 2) with only Democratic votes.
What is Heroes 2?
https://www.schatz.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2020%20Census%20Deadline%20Extensions%20Act%20(1).pdf
What is the goal?
If enacted, what will the bill do?
Why are these extensions important?
How will School Closures or Virtual Learning Impact your Organization?Throughout Idaho, school districts are in the process of deciding what the year will look like for both students and parents. All of these changes and uncertainties can create anxiety for your employees, wondering how they can manage childcare and/or support at home online learning if they are still having to work. We wanted to make sure that we share the changes to the FMLA specifically from the Families First Coronavirus Response Act as it pertains to employee leave related to COVID impacts. The Department of Labor requires certain employers to provide employees with paid sick leave or expanded family and medical leave. Specifically if the employee is ill, has to care for an ill family member, and/or they are unable to work due to school or childcare closures. Click here to read more Nonprofits with fewer than 50 employees may qualify for an exemption from the requirement to provide leave due to school closings or child care unavailability if the leave requirements would jeopardize the viability of the business as a growing concern. Both full time and part time employees are eligible for certain kinds of leave so please be sure you review your policies and ask questions if you are unsure. You may review our internal policy if it’s helpful to you. You can also ask your payroll processor, back office support, or another HR professional in the sector for further guidance if you don’t feel you have the expertise to implement this in your own organization. We strongly encourage our nonprofit friends to dust off your work from home policies (if you’ve returned to the office), review the feasibility of certain employees taking on tasks that can be done from home, and allow for greater flexibility in working hours for employees who need to help care-take or have children at home. If you don’t already have a membership to TechSoup, consider one today. TechSoup is a great resource for nonprofits to purchase technology infrastructure at nonprofit rates to better enable a variety of work situations, including remote. HEROES vs. HEALS ActsYou may have heard about two competing pieces of legislation that have both been introduced at the federal level recently. The first is called the HEROES Act (Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act) introduced by the U.S. House of Representatives. The second is called the HEALS ACt (Health, Economic Assistance, Liability and Schools Act) that has been introduced by the U.S. Senate. There are both similarities and vast differences in these bills and thankfully our friends at the National Council for Nonprofits have laid them both out in a side by side comparison for better visual understanding of what each is trying to accomplish. Recently we signed on to a community letter that laid out some collective legislative priorities for the more than 4,000 organizations from all 50 states. Those priorities are:
Join us in contacting Congressman Fulcher and Congressman Simpson and asking them to sign on to the new Moulton/Fitzpatrick letter to House leaders calling for inclusion of nonprofit provisions in the next COVID relief package. You can use the following message and social media prompts:
Mask or no Mask: Where do you Stand?The Idaho Nonprofit Center wanted to conduct a short pulse pull to see where you stand on mask wearing. Please take just 30 seconds (at most) to complete this 2 question poll. We appreciate your time and dedication to Idaho! Partial Unemployment Insurance (UI) Act Enacted*Congress passed and the President signed the Protecting Nonprofits from Catastrophic Cash Flow Strain Act (S.4209) yesterday afternoon. The bill overrides the Labor Department requirement that self-insured nonprofits must pay 100% of benefits costs upfront and get reimbursed by their states later. The bill is called a partial UI fix because it only corrects the misinterpretation of the CARES Act by the Department of Labor. “The message to reimbursing employers from this new law is ‘Don’t panic, partial relief has arrived,’” said Tim Delaney, President & CEO of the National Council of Nonprofits. “The new law is just a partial fix to a serious problem, however, because self-insuring nonprofits and governments still must pay 50 percent of unemployment bills. We urge Congress to fix this second half of the problem this month.” *content provided by Montana Nonprofit Association and the National Council for Nonprofits Level Up at Conference Join over 300 nonprofit professionals - from board members to CEOs and everyone in between - at the premier event for Idaho nonprofit leaders as they address critical issues and opportunities in the nonprofit sector.
During the conference, all attendees will have the opportunity to fully participate in their chosen breakout sessions through microphone enabled live Q and As, polls, and text chat features. Also, for those breakout sessions you do not attend live, you will be able to view the recordings after the event has ended. 20+ different topics for just $75! Provide full unemployment benefit reimbursement to nonprofits that self-insure these benefits.
Federal and state unemployment laws give nonprofits and governments the option of operating as self-insured (“reimbursing”) employers. This means that they reimburse their state unemployment insurance systems for benefits the state paid to the organization's laid off or furloughed employees. Shutdown orders by government officials, program cancellations, and reduced revenue streams have forced many nonprofits to furlough or layoff staff, triggering unemployment payment bills that are due this month in most states. These challenges are adding to cash flow difficulties at a time when funds are needed to deliver on missions, but when other employers will likely experience little or no additional costs resulting from COVID-19-related layoffs. Congress should increase the federal unemployment insurance reimbursement for self-insured (reimbursing) nonprofits to 100% of costs. If you live in the Central District Health Region be advised that residents of Ada County are now required to wear face coverings in indoor and outdoor public places effective immediately. For more information and specifics on the new ordinance, please visit the Central District Health website for more details. Many Idaho cities outside of Ada County (McCall, Moscow, Ketchum, Hailey, and Driggs) saw ordinances go into effect requiring masks as well. Each has both similarities and nuanced differences. We strongly suggest you review your cities website to understand the requirements in your community.
We issued some guidance last week specific to cities with the ordinances in place, and in the coming weeks we anticipate more cities and/or counties following suit. Here’s a quick round up of information and guidance that you, our nonprofit friends, can use. Congress is expected to pass its last piece of COVID-19 legislation this month. It is urgent that nonprofits tell the House and Senate to include nonprofit policy solutions in the final package. Help ensure that federal lawmakers insert these bipartisan solutions in the legislation by signing your organization’s name onto the new Nonprofit Community Letter to congressional leaders. Adapted from the National Council for Nonprofits policy alert 7.6.20 Background InformationThe CARES Act enacted by Congress in March extended economic relief programs to some nonprofits, but the law fell short in many ways. In early April, the broad nonprofit community sent to every House and Senate office a letter highlighting needed policy reforms. That version of the letter was signed by more than 450 national nonprofit organizations.
We wanted to provide some updates courtesy of the Small Business Administration as well as Rebound Idaho. As we continue to experience instances of community spread in many parts of our state, it’s important that we ensure you are aware of financial assistance available to you.
The SBA began accepting new applications this morning at 7:00 am MDT in response to the Paycheck Protection Program Extension Act. The new deadline to apply for a PPP loan is Aug. 8, 2020. Hello Friends! When I began at the Idaho Nonprofit Center 4 ½ years ago, I had no idea what to expect, as I was new to the role, new to the nonprofit sector and even new to Boise. I was super excited to become involved with members, sponsors, and funders. But what I really wanted to do was to make friends with them all.
Payroll Protection Program Flexibility ActPayroll Protection Program (PPP) Flexibility Act was signed into law last week. Highlights include:
We received the following information from the SBA this morning and will share their rules and guidance with you as soon as we can. SBA Announcement on Upcoming Procedures as a result of the PPP Flexibility ActSBA, in consultation with Treasury, will promptly issue rules and guidance, a modified borrower application form, and a modified loan forgiveness application implementing these legislative amendments to the PPP. These modifications will implement the following important changes:
Gov. Little to Offer Back-to-Work Cash Bonuses Many nonprofits had reported difficulty in getting employees back to work after being laid off due to the additional $600 unemployment benefit that the CARES Act provided. We have been sharing this information with our state leadership and are pleased to share this news from last week. Nonprofits and small businesses both had the same challenge and our state is working to address it:
Recently, Governor Brad Little announced his plan to offer up to $1,500 cash to Idahoans who return to work. More than 60-percent of Americans who are out of work due to the coronavirus pandemic earn more with the enhanced unemployment benefits than their normal wages. The enhanced benefits are set to expire next month, making it even more important to get Idahoans back to work. “A strong economic rebound cannot occur without workers returning to a job, and the new Return to Work cash bonuses incentivize our workforce to get back to work safely. Like other states, Idaho went from record employment to record unemployment levels in a matter of weeks. Our hearts go out to those who lost jobs or income due to the global pandemic,” Governor Little said. The executive committee of the Idaho Workforce Development Council will discuss the plan next week. Under Governor Little’s plan, up to $100 million in federal relief funds will be made available to Idaho workers who are eligible for unemployment benefits during the coronavirus pandemic. Governor Little’s plan includes one-time cash bonuses of $1,500 for full-time work and $750 for part-time work and will be provided to the worker after return to the workplace. The funds will be available on a first-come, first-served basis for qualified applicants. Governor Little will work with the Idaho Workforce Development Council and his Coronavirus Financial Advisory Committee to finalize the plan and eligibility requirements. More information on eligibility and how to apply for a Return to Work cash bonus are expected to be available by June 15 at Rebound.Idaho.Gov. Idaho was one of the last states with a confirmed coronavirus case and one of the first with a concrete plan in place to open the economy responsibly and safely in stages. Ninety percent of businesses were able to open their doors on May 1, and today nearly all businesses are able to open. NOTE: Cash bonuses are available to anyone who filed a UI claim since March 1 – even those who have already returned to a job since then. It is first come first served. The Senate passed a nearly $5 billion relief package on April 21, 2020. We anticipate a vote on the bill as early as Thursday, April 23, but will keep you informed as things may change.
Last night we sent letters of support to Congressmen Simpson and Fulcher to encourage swift passage of the legislation. More than 225 nonprofits and community members signed onto our letters. Thank you! We are the voice of the sector, but our voice is louder when we take action together. The U.S. Senate has passed the $484 billion virus relief bill today. The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote as early as tomorrow. We are closing our sign on letter at 5 pm MT today and will send it to Congressman Fulcher and Congressman Simpson as soon as possible. The package includes:
As a part of our mission to educate, advocate and collaborate in support of stronger nonprofits, the Idaho Nonprofit Center will be sending letters to Senator Mike Crapo, Senator Jim Risch, Congressman Russ Fulcher and Congressman Mike Simpson with the following information.
We are collecting support for and from Idaho’s nonprofits on the following topics for the phase four COVID relief bill that will be discussed starting this week:
We also encourage you to share this opportunity with fellow nonprofits in your community to ensure they have an opportunity to join in signing onto our letter. The Idaho Nonprofit Center serves as the voice for the sector, but your voice can be added to ours helping us to amplify our message. Nonprofits can and should use this opportunity to advocate on your own behalf. We are stronger together. As Congress works on additional relief for individuals, businesses, and nonprofits affected by the COVID-19 crisis, we are asking for four specific improvements to the nonprofit relief in the CARES Act:
1. Expand access to credit. Helping nonprofits get more immediate assistance by expanding nonprofit eligibility for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and by establishing a dedicated funding stream for PPP loans to nonprofit organizations. Many in the nonprofit sector were either unable to get their application processed or banks told them that their application was not processed in time. |
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