Texas Insider Report: WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Pete Olson (TX-22) acted to help employers working to combat the spread of COVID-19. Olson introduced H.R. 8260, The Businesses Preparing for a Better Tomorrow Act, a bill that provides tax incentives for employers to properly train their employees on best practices to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
“The COVID-19 global pandemic has devastated our economy and hurt Americans through no fault of their own,” Rep. Olson said. “I’m proud to help businesses protect their employees and customers. The Businesses Preparing for a Better Tomorrow Act will not only provide tax incentives to companies who train their employees in healthy workplace practices, but also create jobs. As job creators across Texas and America continue to struggle to survive, this tax credit provides help that is vital to getting our economy back up and running. I appreciate the strong support from organizations across the business spectrum for these incentives to help businesses protect their employees during this pandemic.”
“Thank you to Congressman Olson for introducing a bill to provide a payroll tax credit for best practices training expenses associated with protecting employees from COVID-19. As the leading trade association for the cleaning industry, ISSA continues to see firsthand the growing demand for providing proper health and safety related training for workers. Properly trained personnel will become even more important in helping prevent the further spread of COVID-19 as the economy continues to reopen. This tax credit will help businesses to invest in making sure workers and customers are going back to safe and properly cleaned environments. ISSA – The Worldwide Cleaning Industry Association members represent the full supply chain of cleaning industry from manufacturers to cleaning service providers with more than 9,300 members worldwide and 589 in Texas alone.” - John Nothdurft, Director of Government Affairs, ISSA, Advancing Clean Driving Innovation
“This forward-thinking and thoughtful approach recognizes the importance of educating employees on their role in workplace safety while providing small businesses such as ours the help we need to endure this moment of economic uncertainty.” Jonathan Moyer, National President, Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors (PHCC)
“We are facing historic safety and health challenges as Americans return to the workplace, and we must ensure they have the proper training for this new reality. That’s why ISEA supports Olson’s bill, which will help employers offset some of these new and unexpected training expenses. America’s workforce should have the proper training and equipment to ensure the workplace is as safe from COVID-19 as possible.” Charles D. “Chuck” Johnson, Jr., President, International Safety Equipment Association, ISEA
“Employers across the country are struggling to adapt their workplaces to the new safety needs brought on by this pandemic. This bill ensures worker safety and health is prioritized in this time of crisis. We applaud Congressman Olson’s leadership on this important issue.” Lorraine M. Martin, President and CEO, the National Safety Council.
H.R. 8260, The Businesses Preparing for a Better Tomorrow Act will:
- Provide a payroll tax credit for expenses used for qualified workplace best practices training associated with protecting employees from COVID-19.
- Qualified workplace training expenses are defined as amounts paid or incurred by the employer for:
- Education and training with respect to industry best practices and recommendations made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration,
- Has a primary purpose of preventing the spread of COVID-19
