Covid-19 Liability Protection for Small Businesses
Stimulus funding that Congress has given small businesses to help weather the economic downturn will be useless unless Congress also creates
narrow targeted liability protection
to help small businesses reopen. It will be impossible for our economy to get back to “normal” while businesses
can be held liable for
accidental COVID-19 exposure
. This is especially true in states that lack reliable contact tracing systems to pinpoint the likely site of infection.
According to the
National Federation of Independent Businesses
, more than 70 percent of small businesses worry they will be sued for COVID-19 exposure even if they take all necessary recommended safety precautions. There is bipartisan consensus that federal liability protections should only apply to responsible business owners. For example, a pharmacy that fails to act reasonably and prohibits its employees from wearing masks would not be protected from liability if a customer contracted COVID-19. However, businesses that take safety precautions should not be liable for exposure to COVID-19.
Congress is currently negotiating the COVID-19 Phase IV relief bill.
Please reach out to your Representatives:
1
st
District: Suzan DelBene - DelBene.house.gov
2
nd
District: Rick Larsen - Larsen.house.gov
7
th
District: Pramila Jayapal – Jayapal.house.gov
8
th
District: Kim Schrier – Schrier.house.gov
9
th
District: Adam Smith – adamsmith.house.gov
10
th
District: Denny Heck – dennyheck.house.gov
