On March 18, 2020, President Trump signed into law the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”). The new law expands the Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) to provide up to 12 weeks of paid family leave for employees who must care for a minor child due to a school or caregiver closure as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The FFCRA also provides employees up to 80 hours of paid sick leave that they may use for self-care or family-care in response to the pandemic. A number of key changes were made to the earlier version of the bill passed by the House of Representatives on March 14, 2020, including eligibility for leave, leave caps, and removal of the provision prohibiting employers from revising their own sick leave policies.
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