April 6, 2020
Since Hand Law is focused on government, we are providing updates on how policymakers are responding to COVID-19 – and what those responses mean for you. This fourth article suggests several next steps that elected officials could take in support of businesses and employees.
COVID-19 PUBLIC HEALTH UPDATE
The latest State of Florida report (Monday, 4/6 at 12:34 PM) shows 13,324 total cases. Please track statewide data and county information.
NEXT STEPS FOR GOVERNMENT CORONAVIRUS PARTNERSHIP
From the $2 trillion federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to the State of Florida Emergency Bridge Loan Program to the City of Jacksonville business lending initiative and other local efforts, governments at every level are providing major assistance. But it almost certainly won’t be enough. What additional measures should public officials consider for helping small businesses and employees?
Extend the Florida Property Tax Deadline to July 15, 2020. Under state law, residential and commercial property taxes were due on March 31. In late March, the Florida Department of Revenue delayed that deadline until April 15. The likely duration of the COVID-19 crisis necessitates a longer extension. Since the Internal Revenue Service has moved the federal income tax deadline from April 15 to July 15, the State of Florida should provide at least the same extension for homeowners and business property owners.
Pause All Evictions but Provide Owners with Financial Flexibility.[1] Governor Ron DeSantis recently announced a 45-day moratorium on foreclosures and residential evictions to prevent property owners and renters struggling to make payments from losing their homes. In the interests of fairness, the State of Florida should consider a similar pause for commercial renters, especially since many of those businesses have lost the ability to operate due to government Safer-at-Home orders. The current economic challenges will worsen if Florida businesses lose their physical locations and the ability to restore operations when COVID-19 subsides. However, state officials should also seek ways to provide financial flexibility for residential and commercial property owners that could face significant losses as a result of moratoriums.
Ensure Unemployed Floridians Have Health Insurance. Newly unemployed Floridians have experienced difficulties applying for unemployment benefits due to challenges with the state’s online CONNECT system. To make matters worse, job loss often means the loss of health insurance – a terrifying consequence during a public health crisis. The federal government and applicable state governments could help by allowing new Affordable Care Act (ACA) registrations for 2020 coverage and hiring online navigators to assist unemployed workers with plan selection. Congress could also make it easier for displaced employees to keep their work-based coverage by subsidizing COBRA premiums through the end of 2020.
Do No Harm to Safety Net Hospitals. While the CARES Act appropriated $150 billion to help hospitals and other health care facilities manage COVID-19 treatment costs, that assistance could be partially undermined if the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) fails to withdraw a recent rule – the Medicaid Fiscal Accountability Regulation (MFAR) – that could make it harder for public hospitals like UF Health, Orlando Health, Tampa General, and Miami’s Jackson Health System to serve vulnerable populations and low-income patients. It could also negatively impact senior living facilities. In a January 31 letter to CMS, the national association representing safety net hospitals opined that MFAR would “force massive Medicaid cuts and/or state and local tax increases.”[2] Members of Congress from both parties have urged CMS to withdraw MFAR.