Menu
2020 Special Session I

Budget Amendments - HB5005 (Member Request)

View Budget Item
View Budget Item amendments

Chief Patron: Guzman
Coronavirus Relief Funds to Provide Paid Quarantine Leave (language only)

Item 479.10 #4h

Item 479.10 #4h

Central Appropriations
Central Appropriations

Language

Page 204, after line 9, insert:

"E.1. The Governor is authorized to use the federal funds appropriated within this item to provide state agencies and institutions of higher education, and political subdivisions to provide public employees a guaranteed two weeks of paid quarantine leave, reimbursed at 100% of salary, for employees who are diagnosed with COVID-19 or who have to quarantine because they have been in contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19.

2. Furthermore, the Governor is authorized to establish a program, using available federal funds, which provides reimbursement to social service agencies, homecare agencies, and other non-profit agencies providing essential services to provide employees a guaranteed two weeks of paid quarantine leave, reimbursed at 100% of salary, for employees who are diagnosed with COVID-19 or who have to quarantine because they have been in contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19.

3. Twenty percent of unexpended funds designated  for small business assistance grants from the Coronavirus Relief Funds awarded to the Commonwealth through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (P.L. 116- 136) shall be directed to support paid quarantine leave for employees of small businesses who are diagnosed with COVID-19 or who have to quarantine because they have been in contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19. For the purposes of this allocation, a small business is defined as an employer with one to fifty employees.

4. For the benefits provided in this paragraph, an employer shall provide compensation for the number of hours equal to the number of hours that such eligible employee works, on average, over a two-week period."



Explanation

(This amendment authorizes the use of federal COVID-19 relief funds to provide two weeks of paid quarantine leave to all state employees, employees of political subdivisions, and specific social service/health care workers who are diagnosed with COVID-19 or who are required to quarantine as a result of being exposed to an individual diagnosed with COVID-19. It also directs 20 percent of funds allocated for the Rebuild Virginia program to support small business in providing paid time off for employees who are diagnosed with COVID-19 or who are required to quarantine as a result of being exposed to an individual diagnosed with COVID-19.)