THE FAMILIES FIRST CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE ACT

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act

Congress and the Trump Administration have taken several key steps to address the expanding public health crisis caused by the coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, while at the same time trying to staunch the negative repercussions currently affecting the nation’s employment and financial markets. On March 6, 2020, the President signed an emergency supplemental appropriations bill, marking the first major effort to address the coronavirus pandemic. The full text of the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act can be found here, and our memo summarizing the major provisions can be found here. This “Coronavirus 1.0” package includes more than $8 billion in emergency funding for federal agencies, state and local governments, and community health centers to fund the pandemic response, as well as a series of provisions to expand access to telehealth for Medicare patients.

On March 14, the House of Representatives passed a second “Coronavirus 2.0” package, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA); the Senate passed the bill on March 18, and the President signed it into law later the same day. The following is a summary of the legislative provisions in this second emergency bill. The full text of the legislation can be found here. 

You may view the entirety of the report prepared by our legislative council here.