In This Issue
- D.C., Maryland, Virginia Stay-at-Home Orders in Effect
- Hyundai Hope on Wheels Donates $200,000 for COVID-19 Tests in D.C.
- Federal REAL ID Requirements Delayed 12 Months
- Reminder of Resources for Impacted Businesses and Workers
- Feds, States, D.C. Authorize Tax Filing, Payment Extensions
- Md. MVA to Allow Some Late Payments, Offer Critical In-Person Services
|
|
 |
The leaders of
D.C.
,
Maryland
, and
Virginia
all issued stay-at-home orders on Monday, further emphasizing to residents the importance of remaining homebound except to partake in “essential activities,” including purchasing groceries and prescriptions, exercising outside with proper spacing, and traveling to and from workplaces deemed “essential.”
WANADA encourages all our member dealers and suppliers who are allowed to remain open under the current laws of the region to still take tremendous care to do everything they can to make their workplaces as safe as possible for customers and employees. We have communicated to our members the importance of following all pertinent local, state, and federal guidelines in their jurisdiction of operation, and to meticulously document all efforts to comply with them in the workplace.
For employees who are continuing to perform essential work at essential businesses, WANADA has provided links to boilerplate letters that workers should keep in their cars, should they be stopped by law enforcement on their way to their workplace. Please view the Virginia letter
at this link
, and the
Maryland letter here
.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
As part of a
$2.2 million national campaign
, Hyundai Hope on Wheels donated $200,000 to Children’s National to support their efforts in setting up drive-thru COVID-19 testing that will ultimately play a major role in helping reduce the proliferation of the virus.
Hope on Wheels, of which WANADA chairman Kevin Reilly is a board member, gives $15 million annually to hospitals and research organizations that are fighting for a cure to pediatric cancers. Given that COVID-19 is an acute danger to immuno-compromised patients, these sizable grants both fit the organization’s overall mission, and serve to help mobilize the kind of broad testing that will help save lives and ultimately end this pandemic.
And fitting that theme,
NBC 4 reported
that when the site opened on March 22, it was the first facility of its kind to offer testing specifically for pediatric patients who are showing symptoms but aren’t yet in serious enough condition to warrant being admitted to the hospital. Ultimately, the $2.2 million campaign will support
testing initiatives at 11 facilities
across the country that primarily service pediatric patients.
Please check out this video
featuring Kevin Reilly’s visit to the Children’s National testing facility, which is located in the parking lot of Trinity University in Northeast Washington, off of Michigan Avenue NE.
|
|
|
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has
delayed the deadline
for REAL ID-compliant drivers licenses back one full year to October 1, 2021. As of that date, anyone attempting to board an airplane in the United States or access a federal government building will need to present an identification card that meets the REAL ID standards outlined in the
REAL ID Act of 2005
.
The CARES Act
, passed by Congress and signed by President Trump last week, also codifies the extension to 2021 into law.
Virginia dealers should keep this extension in mind going forward, given that the Virginia DMV had already suspended in-person dealer processing services for 2020, in anticipation of a crush of appointments at service centers for residents needing a compliant license. Virginia was one of the last states to finalize compliant IDs, and
the state estimates
that 1.3 million residents still need to upgrade before October 1, 2021.
The Virginia DMV has not issued any additional guidance on how the extension will impact their dealer services once the COVID-19 pandemic ends, and WANADA does not expect them to until the crisis abates. Virginia DMV requires dealers to submit much of their title and registration processing work to Manheim locations in
Fredericksburg
or
Harrisonburg
, and that processing requirement continues until further notice.
Virginia DMV
service centers remain closed statewide through at least April 23. The state motor vehicle licensing agencies in the region
have all issued extensions
for various documents that would have expired during this period of broad closures.
|
|
|
We recommend that you contact your SBA 7(a) lender, if you have one, as soon as possible if you plan to participate in this program. In general, the maximum loan amount is expected to be 250 percent of an employer's average monthly payroll total, up to that $10 million amount.
Given that the Paycheck Protection Program funds are available to businesses with fewer than 500 employees, NADA has published an
informational guide
on how certain small business qualify, with a specific focus on auto dealers.
At this link
, you will find an Excel spreadsheet with a list of OEMs and their SBA status; franchisees associated with the manufacturers who already have codes should be able to much more easily qualify for SBA loans provided under the CARES Act.
Nearly every OEM with a large presence in the region has either already qualified for this provision on behalf of their franchisees, or has submitted an application to do so; you can find
a full list of relevant OEM codes here
. WANADA thanks NADA for their diligence in trying to expand eligibility for these SBA provisions to as many of our dealers as possible.
In addition, the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship has also published two guides: one about the
CARES Act overall
, and one specifically about the
Paycheck Protection Program
. The Senate Finance Committee has also produced
a helpful guide
covering the Employee Retention Credit provision in the law. Also, NADA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have published a
checklist for businesses
preparing to apply for PPP funds.
|
|
|
COVID-19 has upended almost every facet of daily life that had been predictable, and that includes the usual mid-April deadline to file federal tax returns.
The Internal Revenue Service
announced in late March that they would push the usual Tax Day back three months to July 15. This covers both the deadlines to file individual taxes and to pay outstanding balances to the federal government.
WANADA encourages those who are able to file and make payments on the regular schedule to continue doing so.
For those who are eligible to receive the
Economic Impact Payments
authorized by the
CARES Act
, the IRS will use 2019 tax filings for those who submitted their federal income tax returns before March 30; those who have not filed yet will receive a benefit based on their 2018 return. For those who have not filed taxes for either year, the IRS will continue accepting returns from both of those years in order to calculate and disburse their direct benefit, which can be as much as $1,200 for filers who earned $75,000 or less in the most recent year for which records are available.
Read More
|
|
|
The
Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration
has issued two Bulletins with important information for dealers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A Bulletin issued Monday
notes that while, by law, the MVA cannot issue a title certificate on a vehicle until the paperwork is submitted and the excise tax is paid, the state will be lenient in assessing late titling penalities under certain circumstances during the pandemic. Usually, the paperwork must be filed and the tax paid within 30 days of the vehicle being delivered to the customer.
Last Friday,
the state told dealers
that the Business Licensing and Driver Instructional Services department will offer limited in-person support on Mondays and Wednesdays at the Glen Burnie MVA. Dealers and tag and title agencies will be able to drop off work between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. on those days of the week. Please view
the MVA Bulletin
for a full list of services that will be provided in person.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
