Posted by Neely Munnerlyn

On March 14, 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 6201, entitled The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (the “Act”). The House approved certain technical corrections to the Act on March 16, 2020, and the revised version was approved by the Senate on March 18, 2020. The Act, which has been signed into law by President Trump, requires covered employers to provide up to 80 hours of paid sick leave to employees for absences related to Coronavirus/COVID-19 (“qualified sick leave benefits”). It also amends the Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) to provide temporary additional reasons for leave related to Coronavirus/COVID-19 and requires covered employers to provide pay for such FMLA leaves that extend beyond two weeks at a reduced rate (“qualified FMLA benefits”). For purposes of private employers, the Act applies only to employers with fewer than 500 employees. It becomes effective no later than 15 days after enactment and expires on December 31, 2020.