IMPORTANT UPDATES
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has put out a whitepaper on
OSHA’s Response to Workplace Safety and Coronavirus Exposure
. As stated in the whitepaper, employers seeking to protect their workers from exposure to Coronavirus, either while maintaining operations or in anticipation of resuming operations, what is expected of them by OSHA is one area of concern and uncertainty.
OSHA has issued guidance to cover three of the main questions: how should employers protect their employees; do employers have to record cases of COVID-19 on their injury logs; and how will OSHA conduct enforcement related to Coronavirus? OSHA has coordinated its approach with
guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
with respect to various protective measures.
FEDERAL & STATE UPDATES FOR BUSINESS
There is a call to the Federal Government from several Chambers of Commerce including the U.S. Chamber
asking for Uniform Guidance
, and not strict regulations, to help get the economy back to health. Many employers are responding to this crisis as they normally do by finding innovative ways to protect and serve their employees and customers. A one-size-fits-all regulatory approach will keep them from implementing solutions that best fit their unique workplace. To learn more about this push
CLICK HERE
.
WILLIAMSON COUNTY UPDATE
Williamson County announced that it is the
recipient of over $93 million
, which is provided to the county through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The funds can only be used to cover costs that:
·
Are necessary expenditures incurred due to the public health emergency
·
Were not accounted for in the budget most recently approved
·
Were incurred during the period between March 1, 2020 and ends on December 30, 2020
Judge Gravell made the announcement on the funds received at yesterday’s Commissioner’s Court Meeting. The Commissioners appointed a “Strike Team” for distribution led by County Treasurer Scott Heselmeyer, Precinct 3 Commissioner Valerie Covey and Precinct 4 Commissioner Russ Boles. The Court will hold a special called meeting on Friday to discuss business funding.
LEANDER ISD
Leander ISD is asking students, parents and teachers if they are meeting expectations
during these challenging times. According to UPDATE #23, they want to know! “As we continue to plan based on the Governor’s Executive Order that school buildings will remain closed for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year.” They would like to gather feedback from teachers, parents and students about how things are going with the district’s emergency distance learning. Each group will receive a link to a short survey, but if you missed it – the links are below! The district is asking for the survey to be completed by May 1
st
.
IN CLOSING TODAY
Don’t forget to reach out as you come across obstacles that we may be able to help with. The Cedar Park Chamber of Commerce is your business advocate. With the current climate, you may not know who to ask a question to, where to go for help or what to do to re-open your business. We are here to help you with that information. If we don’t know the answer, we will likely be able to guide you to those who do have the answers.
We take being your advocate as one of our core missions. Please let us know how we can help!
TAKE THE WILLIAMSON COUNTY BUSINESS SURVEY TODAY
Please do not forget to take the
Williamson County Business Survey
. As I mentioned yesterday, this is an extremely important survey that is being used county-wide. It was
a topic of discussion at Commissioner’s Court and is being used by other municipalities
as a tool to understand what is happening in real time with the businesses in the middle of this pandemic.
The partners in this program include the Cedar Park Chamber of Commerce, City of Cedar Park, City of Round Rock, Georgetown Chamber of Commerce, Hutto Chamber of Commerce, Leander Economic Development, Round Rock Chamber, Williamson County and Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area.
As always, you can forward this email to anybody you think would find value in it. They can sign up whether they are a member of the Cedar Park Chamber or not. We want everybody to be informed and continue to get updates on what is happening. Be sure to check in on your business neighbor. Stay Safe and Be Kind!
Tony Moline, IOM, PCED
President & CEO
Cedar Park Chamber of Commerce
