Dear AAPS Members and Friends,
Capitol Hill appears to be implementing their rule, “never let a good crisis go to waste.”
Early Saturday morning, at 12:51 AM, Speaker Pelosi forced a vote on a 110-page bill, the text of which was made available less than an hour earlier, at 11:57pm Friday night. The bill passed and is now on the way to the Senate where it will be considered early this week.
H.R. 6201 has a very friendly sounding name: “The Families First Coronavirus Response Act.” But what is inside is anything but friendly to independent medical practices and all small businesses across the United States. One commenter notes that it should be called the “Small Business Bankruptcy Act.”
President Trump called on Congress to give Americans a payroll tax cut, but instead the Democratic-controlled House passed a bill imposing expensive mandates and regulations on small businesses.
Grassroots activist Lisa Pannett states: “In an effort to be empathetic to workers that might be impacted by this virus we have lost all basic logic on what this will do to small businesses.” She details a number of the most harmful provisions in a letter to AAPS.
It is full of new paid leave mandates that “could force small businesses … to lay off workers or cause them to close their doors altogether,” warns Rep. Mike Gallagher. Rep. Chip Roy reiterates, “these burdens will lead to job losses and undermine the very thing we need for growth right now –- freeing up capital for small businesses….”
While H.R. 6201 places heavy burdens on small business, the biggest corporations, with more than 500 employees, were provided exemptions.
To make matters worse, the legislation “adds billions of dollars to our deficit,” explains Rep. Louie Gohmert.
Here is what you can do to help stop this harmful bill:
Please call your Senators ASAP and ask them to“Protect small business and VOTE NO on HR 6201.”
You can find your Senators’ phone numbers at:
https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
Alternatively, you may phone the United States Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121. A switchboard operator will connect you directly with the Senate office you request.
Please share this alert and encourage others to call.
American patients desperately need trusted independent physicians to help the United States navigate the growing Coronavirus pandemic. Small practices already face tremendous amounts of government and insurance company red tape. Piling on more is bad medicine and should be voted down.
Additional Resource:
The Emergency Coronavirus Bill: What Employers Need to Know Regarding the Legislative Response to COVID-19:
https://www.natlawreview.com/article/emergency-coronavirus-bill-what-employers-need-to-know-regarding-legislative
