The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association has been communicating directly with manufacturers across Illinois as the situation changes and will continue posting resources online at the IMA’s dedicated page
www.ima-net.org/covid-19/
.
At Governor Pritzker’s direction, the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission adopted an egregious
emergency rule
that automatically presumes that the workplace was the cause of the virus if any worker becomes infected with COVID-19. This will make it extremely difficult for employers to defend claims for cases and will result in higher costs. The IMA voiced strong concerns on the teleconference call this morning and is extremely disappointed in this action which may have violated the Commission’s authority. All courses of action are being considered to stop this rule.
In response to a reporter’s question about the cost, the Governor stated that “sometimes it will fall on the people who are most able to pick up the tab,” that response does not recognize or appreciate the business community’s challenges.
The Governor noted that he has not made a decision about extending the current stay at home order that is scheduled to end on April 30.
Daily COVID-19 Results
Governor JB Pritzker held his daily press conference and announced:
- There are 1,173 new cases of coronavirus in Illinois.
- There are a total of 794 deaths related to coronavirus in Illinois, including 74 additional deaths announced today.
- A total of 22,025 cases have been confirmed in at least 87 of the 102 counties.
- There have been 105,768 individuals tested for coronavirus in Illinois.
Press Conference Key Updates
New or critical items of note that were discussed today by the Governor:
- The Governor discussed efforts by the Department of Employment Security to improve on the unemployment benefits system for an unprecedented number of individuals who have filed.
- Since March 1, 513,000 individuals in Illinois filed unemployment claims, the largest number of individuals in a 5-week period in Illinois' history. IDES will also be rolling out a 24-hour, 7 days a week service on their website for individuals needing help with unemployment benefits in Illinois.
- The Governor announced that at his direction the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission adopted an emergency rule that presumes that the workplace was the cause of the virus if any worker becomes infected with COVID-19.
Employer Resources & Programs
The IMA published
a guide
last week on the topics of Federal and State Grants, Unemployment Insurance, and Leave.
The IMA is continuing to offer weekly conference calls and webinars to update manufacturers and businesses about changing laws, rules, and regulations. To access previous webinars on a variety of COVID-19 related issues, such as,
addressing FFCRA in the workplace
and
discovering how employers can take advantage of the CARES Act, please
click here
.
Question & Answer Section
The Small Business Administration and the Treasury Department recently updated their
Paycheck Protection Program FAQ
document to address questions many lenders and borrowers faced relate to closing loans. Such questions include:
Q:
Are small business concerns (as defined in section 3 of the Small Business Act, 15 U.S.C. 632) required to have 500 or fewer employees to be eligible borrowers in the PPP?
A:
No. Small business concerns can be eligible borrowers even if they have more than 500 employees, as long as they satisfy the existing statutory and regulatory definition of a “small business concern” under section 3 of the Small Business Act, 15 U.S.C. 632. A business can qualify if it meets the SBA employee-based or revenue- 1 This document does not carry the force and effect of law independent of the statute and regulations on which it is based. As of April 10, 2020 based size standard corresponding to its primary industry. Go to
www.sba.gov/size
for the industry size standards.
Additionally, a business can qualify for the Paycheck Protection Program as a small business concern if it met both tests in SBA’s “alternative size standard” as of March 27, 2020: (1) maximum tangible net worth of the business is not more than $15 million; and (2) the average net income after Federal income taxes (excluding any carry-over losses) of the business for the two full fiscal years before the date of the application is not more than $5 million.
A business that qualifies as a small business concern under section 3 of the Small Business Act, 15 U.S.C. 632, may truthfully attest to its eligibility for PPP loans on the Borrower Application Form, unless otherwise ineligible. 3.
Q:
Does my business have to qualify as a small business concern (as defined in section 3 of the Small Business Act, 15 U.S.C. 632) in order to participate in the PPP?
A:
No. In addition to small business concerns, a business is eligible for a PPP loan if the business has 500 or fewer employees whose principal place of residence is in the United States, or the business meets the SBA employee-based size standards for the industry in which it operates (if applicable). Similarly, PPP loans are also available for qualifying tax-exempt nonprofit organizations described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC), tax-exempt veterans organization described in section 501(c)(19) of the IRC, and Tribal business concerns described in section 31(b)(2)(C) of the Small Business Act that have 500 or fewer employees whose principal place of residence is in the United States, or meet the SBA employee-based size standards for the industry in which they operate
