“Section 3610 of The CARES Act became law on March 27, 2020. And it expires this Sept. 30, coinciding with the end of the government fiscal year.”
“Put another way, or at least how GSA spins it, contract adjustments may apply only ‘for leave that a contractor has provided during the period March 27, 2020 through Sept. 30, 2020.’ Thus, it is the leave pay that accrues after Sept. 30 that is on the line.”
“So now what?”
“CARES allocated more than $2.2 trillion in response to COVID-19’s devastating impact on the economy. As you may recall from my earlier commentary, Section 3610 authorized agencies to pay contractors for paid leave under certain conditions to keep employees in a ‘ready state.’”
“The law was designed for contractor employees restricted from government worksites and unable to telecommute because their jobs cannot be performed remotely. Some contractor employees have been in this position due to government facility closures, state and local lockdown orders (at least in the earlier ‘phases’), and where the employee cannot work remotely because he/she or a family member contracts COVID, or is caring for someone who does, or where the employee or family member is quarantined because of COVID, or some other legitimate reason.”
“Either way there are a variety of situations where the pandemic still prevents an employee from both accessing a worksite and working from home…”
“It seems that convincing Congress to pass any additional relief measures despite a still-raging pandemic, in the heat of a hotly contested presidential election, with 35 Senate seats on the line and a divisive Congress that can’t agree on how to make a ham sandwich no less pass a major relief bill of Depression-era proportions, is becoming as easy as shoveling sand against the tide. And that includes extending Section 3610. Without an extension to Section 3610, not to mention other critical follow-on relief measures that are critical to the entire economy, businesses in this sector will again face a bleak uncertainty going forward…” Read the full article here.
Source: Renewal of CARES Act Section 3610 faces tough road – By James Fontana, September 1, 2020. Washington Technology.
