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/
.
The IMA continues to focus on the safety and protection of our members and their employees during this time. That is why it is important for all manufactures to continue to adhere to facility cleaning and sanitizing guidelines set forth by the CDC. To learn more, please visit the
CDC website for businesses and employers.
Daily COVID-19 Results
Governor JB Pritzker held his daily press conference and announced:
- There are 1,209 new cases of coronavirus in Illinois.
- There are a total of 210 deaths related to coronavirus in Illinois, including 53 today.
- A total of 8,904 cases have been confirmed in at least 64 of the 102 counties.
- There have been 48,048 individuals tested in Illinois.
Press Conference Key Updates
New or critical items of note that were discussed today by the Governor and local leaders:
- The Governor spoke live from McCormick Place Convention Center and discussed its progress of being turned into Illinois' largest hospital with a capacity of 3,000 patients. In addition to McCormick Place and three additional field hospitals being set up in the suburbs, the Governor also announced that a 5th site is being set up in the former Vibra Hospital in Springfield, Illinois.
- Currently, there is a total of 28,000 hospital beds in Illinois with 11,500 available. There are also a total 2,680 ICU beds with just over 800 available.
- On the issue of wearing masks to protect oneself, the Governor stated that medical experts believe the virus can be spread by droplets in the air through coughing and sneezing, so wearing a mask makes sense. The Governor did not say masks are required.
Employer Resources & Programs
Today, lenders may begin processing loan applications for the new Paycheck Protection Program, established under CARES, that provides
$350 billion for small business loans administered by the Small Business Administration. These loans can provide as much as $10 million per business and those loan funds may be forgivable. To learn more,
click here
.
On Tuesday, April 7, from 9:00am to 11:30am CST, the IMA is partnering IMA member Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, P.C. for a webinar to discuss the new Department of Labor regulations regarding the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and other best practices employers need to know now as they try to navigate through these challenging times.
Question & Answer Section
Earlier this week, the IMA partnered with the law firm Smith Amundsen for a webinar on the topic of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) and how employers can take advantage. The webinar,
found here, concluded with a very informative Q & A that included questions on determining head count and wages, such as:
Q. How do you determine your companies headcount when applying for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) under CARES?
A. All individuals who are employed on a full, part-time or other basis are considered employees. All employees, regardless of full or part-time count as 1 employee. Also, the SBA has very broad guidelines on counting contract employees into that count. The SBA also has very board rules on affiliated entities and looks at whether or not a common party has the power to control or actively controls multiple entities. When two entities are deemed to be affiliated, the number of employees from both entities are considered to be together in one headcount.
Q. We utilize manufacturers’ representatives to sell our products throughout North America. They are all 1099 contract employees and we pay them a set commission percentage. Should we count them as employees and count the commissions we pay them as part of the payroll expenses?
A. Not according to new guidance obtained late yesterday. Of course, sole proprietors and contractors are able to apply for PPP loans as well, and we are still awaiting further guidance on how those applications will be handled. It’s reasonable to anticipate that they won’t want multiple entities counting the same stream of income/expenses.
Q. Are bonuses part of Wages and subject to the $100K cap?
A. Yes
