ASSISTANCE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES
The Paycheck Protection Program prioritizes millions of Americans employed by small businesses by authorizing up to $349 billion toward job retention and certain other expenses. Small businesses and eligible nonprofit organizations, Veterans organizations, and Tribal businesses described in the Small Business Act, as well as individuals who are self-employed or are independent contractors, are eligible if they also meet program size standards.
What other tax relief options are available?
How do I apply for PPP loan?
What businesses are eligible for the PPP?
What is the PPP maximum loan amount?
Are there any collateral or personal guarantee requirements?
What can you use the loan for?
How does the PPP loan forgiveness work?
I’ve read the CARES Act requires businesses receiving federal assistance to be neutral in labor organizing activities. Do labor neutrality requirements apply to my restaurant’s participation the PPP loan program?
In response to the current COVID-19 event, pursuant to La. R.S. 23:184.1, the Louisiana Workforce Commission (LWC) will begin issuing sixty (60) day blanket Employment Certificates for employers desiring to employ minors in the State of Louisiana. Employment Certificates issued due to this event shall expire sixty (60) days from the date of issuance. Upon expiration, employers will be required to obtain Employment Certificates as required pursuant to La. R.S. 23:181 et. seq.
Employers desiring to obtain an Employment Certificate pursuant to this memorandum must submit a completed and signed “Application to Employ Minors under 18” along with proof of age to laborprograms@lwc.la.gov. The application can be downloaded from the Louisiana Workforce Commission’s website or by copying and pasting the following web address into your web browser: http://www.laworks.net/Downloads/WFD/MinorApplicationToEmployForm.pdf. Incomplete applications will not be processed. Employers should allow three (3) days for processing. When the application has been approved, the employer will be notified via email from the LWC Office of Workforce Development. The names of those minors who are approved to work pursuant to the Employment Certificate will also be attached to the email. As indicated, blanket Employment Certificates are effective for a maximum of sixty (60) days. Blanket Employment Certificates are not transferable. Certificates are required to be kept at the minor’s work location. Any questions or concerns regarding this memorandum should be directed to laborprograms@lwc.la.gov. Our LRA SIF online safety video library Safety Source has set up a specific tab for COVID-19. Under the tab, you will find links to safety videos dealing specifically with the virus and protecting employees.
To access the videos, click HERE. The username is LRASIF and the passkey is SAFETY. The goal is to help operators and their employees practice safe food handling and delivery during the coronavirus pandemic.
ServSafe is offering free resources to restaurateurs focusing on takeout and delivery during the coronavirus crisis. The goal is to reinforce safe food handling and delivery practices. For 30 years, ServSafe has been at the forefront of preparing restaurant and foodservice employees to deliver safe dining experiences for their guests while also keeping themselves safe. This mission is as important as ever during the service disruptions caused by the coronavirus. As restaurateurs focus their businesses on takeout and delivery during the pandemic, ServSafe, the National Restaurant Association’s food-safety training and certification program, has released two new training videos to help reinforce safe food handling and safe delivery practices for all operations. In addition to the videos, ServSafe also is offering its online Food Handler training program free through April 30. More than 3 million people have earned their ServSafe Food Handler certification. The training has helped educate line-level and front-of-the-house employees to understand food safety. The ServSafe Takeout video highlights safety measures restaurants and foodservice employees should follow to ensure the foods and processes for preparing them for off-premises dining is safe. The ServSafe Delivery video focuses on safety measures to help reduce risk associated with delivery of the food, including special handling precautions during the coronavirus crisis. Both are available on-demand and are free of charge. Both English and Spanish versions are available. Sherman Brown, the Association’s executive vice president of training and certification, says the ServSafe team developed the training videos to provide guidance for restaurant employees preparing food and delivery people who transport it to the customer. Video highlights ServSafe Takeout: COVID-19 Precautions focuses on:
Brown added that the ServSafe team is available to operators and their employees via phone, text, online chat, and email. From Shannon Meade, Vice President of Public Policy and Legal Advocacy, NRA
As expected, the U.S. Department of Labor just issued some preliminary guidance, in the form of Questions and Answers, in advance of the implementing regulations on the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) a/k/a COVID-2, which takes effect April 1. To access please click on the link below. The Department advises that they will continue to provide compliance assistance to employers and employees on their responsibilities and rights under the FFCRA, and we will be sure to keep you updated as that information is made available. https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/pandemic/ffcra-questions Also, the Department is hosting a creative opportunity for public input via a national online dialogue to provide employers and employees an innovative way to offer their perspective as the Department develops compliance assistance materials and outreach strategies related to the implementation of FFCRA. The ideas and comments gathered from this dialogue will inform compliance assistance guidance, resources, and tools, as well as outreach approaches, that assist employers and employees in understanding their responsibilities and rights under the FFCRA. The deadline for input is March 29, 2020. Anyone who is interested can participate online at https://ffcra.ideascale.com now through March 29, 2020. |
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