Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has made employer liability protection a cornerstone priority of the next coronavirus relief package. While House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has expressed opposition to such vital protection efforts, ATRA is nonetheless encouraged to see Congressional leaders realize the importance of providing essential protection to business owners as the country determines how to reopen for business.
Congress, the Trump administration and individual states all should foster a reliable and predictable business climate that will give companies the confidence to re-open for business without fear of potential legal repercussions should an employee contract COVID-19 while at work.
Businesses of all sizes must be made aware of what sort of liability they will or will not face before they begin the process of reopening. ATRA urges lawmakers at both the federal and state levels to make these determinations prior to reopening for business.
ATRA’s policy recommendations and liability concerns were relayed to the Trump Administration, Congress, and state government leaders in the early weeks of the outbreak, and we have since been detailed in a comprehensive white paper.