Club Updates – March 3 As the number of cases fall and the vaccine rollout picks up steam, NCA continues to keep clubs informed on new and updated federal and state mandates and restrictions and news related to the private club industry. Please be sure to visit our Coronavirus Resource Center for the most up-to-date information to keep your club informed on COVID-19.
Legislative Update
By a vote of 219 – 212, the House of Representatives passed the latest round of coronavirus relief legislation. The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration later this week. Among the provisions contained in the bill are the following:
- Individual payments of $1,400 per person and student under age 24 for those with incomes below $75,000 for an individual and $150,000 for couples filing jointly. The amount is phased out for those with incomes above $100,000 or $200,000 for a couple.
- Expands Paycheck Protection Program to include all 501(c) entities and potentially clubs
- Extends Employee Retention Tax Credit through December 31, 2021
- Provides grant assistance to licensed restaurants
- Extends unemployment benefits including the $400 pandemic unemployment assistance payments through August 29, 2021
- Increases federal minimum wage to $15.00 an hour
- Tax credits for employers who offer paid leave
- Enhances subsidies for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act
While the legislation contains an increase in the federal minimum wage, Senate rules for reconciliation bills will require it to be dropped from the bill. The House will then have to reconsider the bill once the Senate passes it, which is expected within a week. Democrats and the Biden Administration have set a March 14 goal for the bill to be signed into law.
Resources
Federal Guidance
- COVID-19 Update: USDA, FDA Underscore Current Epidemiologic and Scientific Information Indicating No Transmission of COVID-19 Through Food or Food Packaging, FDA
- U.S. Immigration and COVID-19-Related Travel Considerations, The National Law Review
- CDC Recommends Steps To Prevent COVID-19 Spread At Gyms, Club Industry
Vaccine Rollout
- Biden Expects U.S. to Have Covid-19 Vaccines for All Adults by End of May, WSJ
- Vaccine Doses Administered per 100 People, Our World in Data
- Restaurant Workers Qualify for Vaccines in Some States; May Qualify in Others Soon, The National Law Review
- The COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout: What’s Ahead?, The Forum at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and NPR
- COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Slows Race to Defang the Virus, Pew Trusts
State Updates
- The White House COVID-19 Response Team and HHS released the weekly state profile snapshot
- Coronavirus Regulations: A State-By-State Week In Review, Law360
- Texas Lifts all COVID-Related Restaurant Restrictions, Restaurant Business Online
- Gov. Tate Reeves Ditches Mask Mandate, COVID-related Business Restrictions, Mississippi Today
- N.J. Executive Order, N.J. Gov.
- Maine Executive Order, Maine Gov.
- Minnesota Executive Order, Minn. Gov.
- Nevada Executive Order, Nev. Gov.
- Ind. Gov. Signs Law Shielding Businesses From Virus Liability, Law360
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) lifted a temporary restriction that required any indoor event of 10 people or more to obtain state approval in advance. Indoor events with 100 people or more still require approval. Gov. Hutchinson also lifted a restriction that prohibited schools from holding sports competitions with more than two teams.
Utah launched a COVID-19 contact tracing system that allows Utah residents to opt in to receive and share notifications about possible exposure to COVID-19.
PEW Trusts Reports Historic State Tax Revenue Drop Driven by the Pandemic: PEW Trusts reports total state tax revenue decreased by $46.4 billion from pre-pandemic levels compared to the four quarters ending in June 2020. The graph compares state-by-state losses in four quarters ending Q2 2020 with 2019. See the full article here.
News Updates
- Stats: Leisure And Hospitality Accounts For 39% Of Jobs Lost To Pandemic, Travel Agent Central
- Average U.S. Life Expectancy Dropped by a Year in the First Half of 2020, CDC
- Q&A: How the U.S. Can Respond to Coronavirus Variants & Prepare for Future Evolution, STAT
- The Impact of COVID-19 on Retirement Savings, LT Trust
- Will we Reenter the Economy as Penguins or Lemmings?, Ipsos
- What Employees Want: The Role of Vaccines and Employee Mandates in the Return to Work, Eagle Hill
- A 7-step Plan for Business Leaders to Win in the Post-COVID Economy, Fortune
Join NCA – It’s a Good Business Decision:
NCA provides real-time value for clubs as they navigate this crisis and other areas from workforce management and compliance, governance, strategic planning, and much more. View all the benefits you get with an NCA membership. Click here or contact Katina Cavagnaro at [email protected] and 202-822-1291 to learn more about a membership at the National Club Association.
Stay Up to Date
The National Club Association is continuing to closely monitor this crisis and will provide you with the best information available to help your club during this difficult time. Please visit NCA’s Coronavirus Resource Center. To submit questions or to share your club’s resources and plans, please use this link. For more information, contact Cindy Vizza at 202-822-9822 or [email protected]