How the American Rescue Plan Act Delivers for Pennsylvania

While the deadly COVID-19 pandemic and the economic crisis that it spurred continue to test families across the country, help already is on the way. The American Rescue Plan Act, signed into law by President Joe Biden on March 11, 2021, is the most sweeping and progressive economic package that Congress has passed in recent decades.

What is in the American Rescue Plan, and how will it benefit Pennsylvania’s working families? Our lawyers have examined the law’s effects on various important issues, including health insurance, unemployment benefits and more.

PPP Loans Now Open to Certain Labor Organizations

For the first time, Tax Code Section 501(c)(5) labor organizations can apply for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, provided they file their applications by May 31, 2021 and meet certain criteria. Here’s what labor unions need to know about applying for a forgivable PPP loan.

American Rescue Plan Extends Unemployment Insurance Benefits

More than a year into the pandemic, chronic unemployment and under-employment remain among its most challenging impacts on individuals’ lives and our economy. In response, the American Rescue Plan Act significantly expands state unemployment to many workers, including independent contractors and so-called gig workers.

ARPA: Subsidized COBRA Coverage and Extensions of ERISA Deadlines

The American Rescue Plan Act makes some individuals who have lost their jobs or have had their work hours reduced eligible for a 100% subsidy for COBRA coverage through September 30, 2021. Here are various examples of how these changes might affect certain workers.

American Rescue Plan Offers New Life to Multiemployer Defined Benefit Pension Plans Facing Insolvency

For years, experts and legislators have debated what to do about several large multiemployer defined benefit pension plans facing insolvency. Finally, Congress has given these plans new life through its passage of the American Rescue Plan Act. We have drafted a summary of some of the major elements of this important part of the ARPA.

The passage of the American Rescue Plan is a triumph for working families. It will help our economy recover from the pandemic and correct the economic inequities for working families that the pandemic has laid bare.