Department of Labor Holds Open Comment Period on COVID-19 Related Expanded Paid Leave

The Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division is holding an open comment period on the Families First Coronavirus Response Act’s expanded paid leave requirements for employers with fewer than 500 employees. The comment period ends March 29, 2020. The expanded family and medical leave provisions are set to take effect April 1, 2020, and expire on December 31, 2020.

On March 24, the Wage and Hour Division announced a temporary non-enforcement period through April 17, 2020. While the paid leave provisions take effect on April 1, a business will not be penalized for violations through April 17, provided that the employer has made reasonable, good faith efforts to comply with the act.

The comment period allows employers and employees to play a role in shaping the development of the Department of Labor’s compliance assistance materials and outreach strategies related to the implementation of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. The Department of Labor will use the ideas and comments gathered to develop compliance guidance, resources, tools, and outreach approaches to assist employers and employees.

Submit comments and ideas as an employer or employee here.

In the meantime, the Wage and Hour Division has compiled information on common issues employers and employees face regarding COVID-19, and COVID-19’s effect on wages and hours worked. The resources include the following:

• Field Assistance Bulletin 2020-1: Temporary Non-Enforcement Period Applicable to the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) (PDF, TEXT)
• Families First Coronavirus Response Act: Questions and Answers
• Families First Coronavirus Response Act: Employee Paid Leave Rights
• Families First Coronavirus Response Act: Employer Paid Leave Requirements
• COVID-19 and the Fair Labor Standards Act: Questions and Answers
• COVID-19 and the Family and Medical Leave Act: Questions and Answers
• WHD Response to COVID-19

Read ABA’s summary of specific provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act that booksellers should know.

If you have questions about the Families First Coronavirus Response Act or other pieces of COVID-19 stimulus legislation, please contact ABA’s director of public policy, David Grogan, at [email protected].