The ubiquitous news regarding the novel Coronavirus
(COVID-19) continues to pervade our consciousness. The Vermont Department of Health, Vermont Emergency
Management, and the various health care providers around the state continue to take
steps to monitor the situation and adopt a coordinated response. Vermonters are
advised to keep abreast of the Health Department's status reports at https://www.healthvermont.gov/response/infectious-disease/2019-novel-coronavirus
or dial 2-1-1. My earlier report on the initial
Vermont response can be found at https://www.mikeyantachka.com/2020/03/the-word-in-house-3122020-vermont.html.
I am writing this a day after the Vermont General Assembly
adjourned for a one-week hiatus to essentially “distance” members from the
Statehouse out of concern that business-as-usual might increase chances for
spreading the virus. It is also a day after a state of emergency was declared
at both the national and state levels by President Trump and Governor Scott
respectively. In order to expedite action on legislation responding to the
crisis, three House committees, Commerce and Economic Development, Health Care,
and Human Services, worked on amendments to existing bills in order to vote on a
COVID-19 response package by the end of the week. As Governor Scott was holding
a press conference announcing his declaration, the Vermont House passed two
bills and a resolution to provide some economic relief to Vermont employers and
employees impacted by the virus and to our health care providers.
An amendment to H.681, a bill dealing with employment
insurance, will hold employers harmless from unemployment insurance rate
increases if an employee voluntarily leaves to care for a family member
diagnosed with COVID-19 or if the employer must cease operations at the request
of a health official or voluntarily if workers were exposed to COVID-19 at the workplace.
The affected employee(s) must be rehired by the employer when the employer
resumes operations or when the individual has completed quarantine. Help for
employees is also included. Employees who leave employment voluntarily do not normally
qualify for unemployment compensation. However, an employee who leaves to care
for a family member diagnosed with COVID-19 will be eligible for unemployment
compensation. Because of the legislature’s
care in past years to build up the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund, money is
available to provide this relief.
The House also amended H.742, a bill to fund training of
Emergency Medical Personnel, to assist health care providers during the
COVID-19 emergency. During the state of
emergency, in order to preserve the ability of providers to continue to operate,
the Secretary of Human services is authorized to waive, modify or postpone the
provider tax assessed on hospitals, clinics and others provided that the
Secretary obtain the approval of the Joint Fiscal Committee and, if necessary,
the Emergency Board. If the normal operation of health care, long term care,
home- and community-based, and childcare services are impacted because patients
or clients are not seeking services due to the virus, the Agency is authorized
to provide payments to sustain the services and enable continued operation
during the emergency. In addition, the bill provides for issuing temporary
licenses to retired medical professionals or those with valid licenses from
other states to join the workforce to supplement the potential loss of workers
due to the virus.
Finally, a resolution was passed urging the U.S. Department
of Homeland Security to suspend implementation of the Inadmissibility on
Public Charge Grounds Rule that revokes the valid immigration status of
individuals receiving public assistance.
It also urges the Department to refrain from arresting individuals at
hospitals, health care facilities, or coronavirus testing sites for the
duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and to issue a statement to that effect. This
is a necessary step to encourage persons, regardless of immigration status, to
seek necessary care that will help control the spread of the virus.
When the General Assembly reconvenes, this COVID-19 package can
be acted on quickly by the Senate. Additional details about any forthcoming
relief from the federal government will also inform further action. We are all
working in harmony to put the very best package forward to help Vermonters
weather this crisis.
