On March 18, 2020, President Trump signed into law the Families First Coronavirus Response Act ("FFCRA"), which the Senate had passed earlier that day. As detailed earlier in Families First Coronavirus Response Act, the FFCRA will provide eligible employees with two weeks of paid emergency sick leave, 90 days of paid leave (amending the FMLA to include emergencies like the coronavirus); and, enhanced unemployment insurance for workers who lose their jobs because of the outbreak. Additionally, the measure will provide for free coronavirus testing, and aim to combat food insecurity by temporarily strengthening SNAP, student and senior meals programs, and local food banks. The FFCRA also provides a boost to funding for Medicaid health insurance for state, tribal, and local governments, as well as tax credits for eligible employers when workers receive paid sick leave because of illness from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
