On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed into law the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), the latest COVID-19 relief bill, which includes a substantial, temporary government.
Beer Here, Bouquets Next Door: How a Bar Defied the Pandemic
The Times followed the Hatch and its staff in Oakland after the pandemic began. The business not only survived, it’s expanding.
February at the Hatch, a bar in Oakland, Calif., that relied on ingenuity and some good fortune to keep going.Credit.Jim Wilson/The New York Times
March 16, 2021
OAKLAND, Calif. One year ago at the Hatch, a narrow neighborhood bar in downtown Oakland, dozens of unmasked people crowded inside to say goodbye for a while. California’s governor had just ordered the nation’s first effective coronavirus lockdown, and the bar’s staff and regulars thought they wouldn’t be back for weeks, maybe even months.
In pitching President Biden’s relief package, Democrats have said their 2009 stimulus efforts under Barack Obama were insufficient. Those close to Mr. Obama have noticed.
Were the Airline Bailouts Really Needed?
Once again, we have socialized an industry’s losses and privatized its profits.
Airline stocks, lifted by taxpayers, have risen nearly 200 percent since their pandemic low and almost recovered their losses.Credit.Erin Schaff/The New York Times
March 16, 2021
A year ago this week, Doug Parker, the chief executive of American Airlines, flew to Washington to begin what became a yearlong lobbying campaign for a series of taxpayer-funded bailouts during the pandemic.
He wasn’t alone. The campaign also included leaders from Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue Airways, United Airlines, SkyWest Airlines and Southwest Airlines all with their hands extended. The flight attendant and pilot unions were also part of the lobbying.
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The recently enacted American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) provides for 100% premium assistance to certain qualified beneficiaries for continuation coverage under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA) for periods of coverage beginning on or after April 1, 2021 and ending September 30, 2021. ARPA allows assistance eligible individuals to forego paying applicable COBRA coverage premiums but be deemed to have made full payment. Employers will be able to claim employment tax credits to offset the amounts (including applicable administrative fees) of unpaid COBRA premiums. What do employers need to know about this critical legislative change?