The HEALS Act Includes Essential Liability, Workforce, Financial & Unemployment Reforms, But Association Will Work to Get Needed Infrastructure Investments Included in Final Relief Measure
The chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America, Stephen E. Sandherr, issued the following statement in reaction to the release today of Senate Republican’s latest coronavirus relief measure, the Heals Act:
“Senate Republicans have crafted a relief measure that includes a number of vital provisions that will allow hard-hit construction firms to begin rebuilding their businesses and payrolls. Among the most promising of these provisions are liability reforms so construction firms that are protecting workers from the coronavirus will not be subjected to needless litigation. The proposal also includes important improvements to the Paycheck Protection Program and a much-needed expansion of the Employee Retention Tax Credit, both of which will help protect construction jobs.
“The measure also takes a more thoughtful approach than the existing federal unemployment insurance benefit by protecting unemployed workers without creating artificial barriers to returning people to good-paying jobs in sectors like construction. And the ambitious workforce development provisions in this measure have the potential to help millions of unemployed prepare for new careers in middle-class professions like construction.