COVID-19 (CONTENT EDITOR TESTING)

On Tuesday, March 24, NAMM presented important updates regarding the federal COVID-19 Emergency Aid Package (funds family leave, free testing and treatment, paid sick leave, expanded unemployment assistance, and more), SBA disaster relief loans, and employee/employer financial support.

Guests included Myrna Sislen, owner of Middle C Music and Miriam and Mike Risko, owners of Risko Music. Both retailers have adapted their business models to move in-store music lessons online to keep their students connected and making music; and Lindsay Zehren, director of program development and neurologic music therapist from Resounding Joy, Inc. and Stephanie Lamond, Little Bear's director and marketing manager from Blue Bear School of Music.

Last week the House passed an economic relief plan backed by President Donald Trump to deal with the spreading coronavirus. The 363-40 vote Saturday sends the measure to the Senate, which plans to skip this week’s planned recess to take up the bill. The House package includes free testing for everyone who needs it, and two weeks of paid sick leave to allow people with the virus to stay home from work to avoid infecting co-workers. It also includes enhanced jobless benefits, increased food aid for children, senior citizens and food banks, and higher funding for Medicaid benefits. Also last week, Trump declared a national emergency that he said would free up as much as $50 billion to help states and cities respond to the health crisis, waive student-loan interest, purchase large quantities of oil and confer new authority on his health secretary to bypass hospital regulations. Workers will get up to two weeks of paid sick leave to deal with coronavirus issues and another 10 weeks of coronavirus-related paid family leave at two-thirds pay in the bill, with the government reimbursing businesses for the cost via new, temporary tax credits. Smaller companies could get exemptions from the paid family leave after the first two weeks of sick leave provided doing so would risk closing their businesses. The bill sunsets at the end of the year.