American Workforce Policy Advisory Board – Call to Action: The American Workforce Policy Advisory Board has released a call-to-action to help the millions of workers who need assistance now, and build the resilient and agile workforce of the future powered by skilled American workers. Specific actions:

• Expedite American workers’ return to employment and upward mobility by investing in career pathways and implementing skills-based hiring practices.
• Remove obstacles to the modernization of American education and training to accelerate reskilling and facilitate innovation in workforce development.
• Build the technological infrastructure necessary for the future of work.

Find Something New: FindSomethingNew.orgcan help workers of all ages and backgrounds identify the right path for their career goals by recommending multiple educational pathways, providing aptitude testing, offering a directory of critical resources for child care, food assistance, internet access and more. Educational pathways featured include online learning, professional certification programs, associate’s degrees, and vocational, technical and trades education.

Economic Impact Payments: The CARES Act provides for Economic Impact Payments to American households of up to $1,200 per adult for individuals whose income was less than $99,000 ( or $198,000 for joint filers) and $500 per child under 17 years old – or up to $3,400 for a family of four. More information can be found here.

Preserving Jobs for American Industry: The CARES Act offers meaningful financial support to American businesses and job creators so they can better support employees and be prepared to get back to business as soon as possible. More information can be found here.

Supporting Child Care: The CARES Act provided an additional $3.5 billion to the Child Care and Development Block Grant to support families with child care options during this public health crisis. Additional information and State-level information can be found here.

Dislocated Worker Grants: The U.S. Department of Labor is providing Dislocated Worker Grants to prevent, prepare for and respond to COVID-19. State-by-State data and additional details can be found here.

Assistance for Communities

CARES Act Recovery Assistance Grants: The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA)is awarding CARES Act Recovery Assistance Grants to assist communities in responding to the coronavirus pandemic. These grants are being administered under the authority of the bureau’s flexible Economic Adjustment Assistance (EAA) program, which provides a wide-range of financial assistance to eligible communities and regions as they respond to and recover from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. For complete information, please visit the recently updated EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance page.

Opportunity Zones: Opportunity Zones were created under the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, signed into law by President Donald J. Trump on December 22, 2017, to stimulate economic development and job creation, by incentivizing long- term investments in low-income neighborhoods. During the COVID-19 pandemic, President Trump directed the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council to focus on underserved communities impacted by the virus. For more information, visit opportunityzones.gov.

• Opportunity Zones Best Practices
• Opportunity Zones Toolkit Volume 1
• Opportunity Zones Toolkit Volume 2

How to Help

Donate COVID-19 Plasma

• If you have fully recovered from COVID-19, you may be able to help patients currently fighting the infection by donating your plasma. Because you fought the infection, your plasma now contains COVID-19 antibodies. These antibodies provided one way for your immune system to fight the virus when you were sick, so your plasma may be able to be used to help others fight off the disease. Learn more here.
• To find where you can donate source plasma, visit donatingplasma.org.

Donate Blood

• The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented challenges to the U.S. blood supply. Donor centers have experienced a dramatic reduction in donations due to the implementation of social distancing and the cancellation of blood drives. Blood is needed every day to provide lifesaving treatments to a variety of patients. You can help ensure that blood continues to be available for patients by finding a blood donor center near you to schedule your donation. Learn more here.
• To find where you can donate blood, visit aabb.org. 

Donate Supplies and Equipment

• If you represent a business that would like to donate medical supplies, equipment or pharmaceuticals, please provide details on what you would like to give. This form is for donations only.

Sell Supplies and Equipment

• If you are interested in doing business with FEMA with your company’s non-medical goods and/or services, submit your inquiry to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Procurement Action Innovative Response Team (PAIR) team at DHSIndustryLiaison@hq.dhs.gov.
• The federal government is purchasing medical supplies or equipment under the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Request for information (RFI). Visit the DLA website for more information.

Developing Medical Countermeasures

• If you would like to meet with a federal agency regarding a vaccine, diagnostic, therapeutic or other medical device that you are developing for SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19, please go to medicalcountermeasures.gov.

Other Forms of Help

• If you or someone you know represent a hospital or healthcare provider in need of medical supplies, please contact your state, local, tribal or territory department of public health and/or emergency management agency.
• If you represent a private sector business and wish to learn more about getting involved in a way that is not listed here, please e-mail nbeoc@max.gov or visit our National Business Emergency Operations Center page.

For additional information, please visit FEMA’s website: www.fema.gov/coronavirus/how-to-help.

Guidelines for Opening Up America Again

Trump has unveiled Guidelines for Opening Up America Again, a three-phased approach based on the advice of public health experts. These steps will help state and local officials when reopening their economies, getting people back to work, and continuing to protect American lives.

• Testing Overview (HERE)
• Testing Blueprint (HERE)
• Guidance for Cleaning and Disinfecting Public Spaces, Workplaces, Businesses, Schools and Homes (HERE)
• CDC guidance for Camps, Child Care Programs, Schools, Mass Transit, Restaurants And Bars, and Workplaces
• CDC resources and tools for school administrators, teachers, parents, guardians, and caregivers when schools open this fall:

o   The Importance of Reopening America’s Schools this Fall

o   School Decision-Making Tool for Parents, Caregivers, and Guardians

o   Guidance for K-12 School Administrators on the Use of Cloth Face Coverings in Schools

o   Screening K-12 Students for Symptoms of COVID-19: Limitations and Considerations

o   Back to School Planning: Checklists to Guide Parents, Guardians, and Caregivers

o   FAQ for School Administrators on Reopening Schools

• CDC Activities and Initiatives Supporting the COVID-19 Response and the President’s Plan for Opening America Up Again (HERE)
• CDC Videos:

o   Washing Hands

o   Wearing Gloves

o   Practicing Social Distancing

o   Cleaning and Sanitizing Toys and Child Care Programs

o   Cleaning and Disinfecting Your Homes

o   Staying Safe at Summer Camp

o   Staying Safe at Aquatic Venues

o   Dining with Friends and Family with Higher Risk for Severe Illness

o   Visiting Friends and Family with Higher Risk for Severe Illness

o   Stopping the Spread of Germs

o   Considerations for Bars and Restaurants

o   Wear a Mask to Protect You and Your Friends

o   Key Times to Wear a Mask

o   Symptoms of Coronavirus Disease 2019

o   COVID-19 Stop the Spread of Germs

o   Know Your Risk of Getting COVID-19

o   How to Wear a Mask

o   Protect Friends and Family who May be at Higher Risk for Severe Illness

o   I Think or I Know I Had COVID-19- When Can I be with Others?

o   The Difference Between Quarantine and Isolation

o   Maintaining Heart Health in COVID-19

o   Emergency Care for Heart Disease in COVID-19

Operation Warp Speed

• The President is using all available means to ensure safe vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics are developed, manufactured, and distributed in unprecedented time and scale in response to COVID-19.
• Earlier this year, President Trump launched Operation Warp Speed, a groundbreaking partnership between the Federal Government, scientific community, and private sector to develop and deliver vaccines in record time.
  • Operation Warp Speed’s goal is to produce and deliver 300 million doses of safe and effective vaccines with the initial doses available by January 2021.
• The Administration has made large investments in multiple vaccine candidates to provide financial infrastructure for mass manufacturing, in parallel with late-stage clinical trials.
• Operation Warp Speed has invested in more than five vaccines and teamed up with multiple pharmaceutical companies to safely produce as many effective vaccines as possible.
• A number of vaccine candidates have shown promising early clinical results and are either in or starting Phase 3 clinical trials, including AstraZeneca, Moderna, and Pfizer.

White House Updates

• 08/13/20: President Trump Holds a News Conference (REMARKS, VIDEO)
• Evaluating the Effects of the Economic Response to COVID-19 (HERE)
• President Donald J. Trump Has Secured a Historic Deal Between Israel and the United Arab Emirates to Advance Peace and Prosperity in the Region (HERE)
• Remarks by President Trump Announcing the Normalization of Relations Between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (HERE)
• Joint Statement of the United States, the State of Israel, and the United Arab Emirates (HERE)
• Text of a Notice on the Continuation of the National Emergency With Respect to Export Control Regulations (HERE)
• Text of a Letter to the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate (HERE)
• Vice President Pence Participates in a Support Law Enforcement Town Hall (HERE)
• 08/13/20: Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany Holds a Press Briefing (REMARKS, VIDEO)
• Daily 1600: How Today’s Historic Middle East Agreement Happened (HERE)
• West Wing Reads: BREAKING: Trump Announces ‘Historic Peace Agreement’ Between Israel, UAE (HERE)

HHS Invests in Diagnostic Labs to Expand COVID-19 Testing Capacity in the United States (HERE)

• Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced combined investments of $6.5 million in two commercial diagnostic laboratories to expand capacity to conduct up to 4 million additional SARS-CoV-2 per month.

Catch-up to Get Ahead on Childhood Immunizations (HERE)

• Many children missed recommended vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now is the time to help them catch up and get ahead. To learn more about the vaccines your child needs, visit http://www.vaccines.gov

Mapping Tool Highlights NIH-Funded Small Business Successes (HERE)

• A new interactive mapping tool from the National Institutes of Health showcases just some of the many small businesses that have developed successful healthcare products with the help of NIH small business funding, which totals over $1 billion annually. NIH small business funding, for example, helped set the stage for BioMedomics of North Carolina to pivot from a rapid blood test for diagnosing sickle cell disease to a rapid COVID-19 blood test that provides results within 15 minutes. 

FDA Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update Daily Roundup – August 13, 2020 (HERE)

• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration continues to announce actions taken in its ongoing response effort to the COVID-19 pandemic.

IRS Reminds Truckers of Aug. 31 Highway Use Tax Return Deadline; E-file Encouraged (HERE)

• The Internal Revenue Service today reminded owners of most heavy highway vehicles of their responsibility to timely file Form 2290, Heavy Highway Vehicle Use Tax Return. The deadline to file Form 2290 and pay the tax is August 31, 2020, for vehicles used on the road during July.

Federal Government Exceeds Small Business Contracting Goals by Awarding Record-Breaking $132.9 Billion to Small Businesses (HERE)

• Today, the U.S. Small Business Administration announced that the federal government exceeded its small business federal contracting goal, awarding 26.50 percent or $132.9 billion in federal contract dollars to small businesses, over $12 billion increase from the previous fiscal year.  Additionally, the Fiscal Year 2019 Small Business Federal Procurement Scorecard marks the second time in Scorecard history that the women-owned small business contracting goal of 5% has been met.

Trump Administration Invests $371 Million to Improve Rural Electric Infrastructure in 11 States (HERE)

• The Trump Administration today announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $371 million to build and improve critical electric infrastructure (PDF, 116 KB) that will benefit more than 222,000 rural residents and commercial customers in 11 states.

LaGrange, Georgia, Ashley Homestore Pays Back Wages to Employee Denied Paid Sick Leave After Doctor Directed Coronavirus – Related Quarantine (HERE)

• Following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Future Furniture Inc. – doing business as Ashley Homestore in LaGrange, Georgia – has paid $1,040 in back wages to an employee after failing to pay two weeks of paid sick leave after the worker was directed by a doctor to self-isolate due to coronavirus-related concerns. WHD investigators found that Ashley Homestore violated the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (EPSLA) provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), which requires covered employers to provide eligible workers two weeks of paid sick leave under those circumstances.

U.S. Department of Labor Announces Guidance for the Lost Wages Assistance Program to Provide Needed Relief to Americans (HERE)

• The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the release of guidance to help states implement the Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) program. LWA is authorized by Presidential Memorandum, and provides claimants in most Unemployment Insurance (UI) programs up to $400 per week additional benefits, starting with weeks of unemployment ending on or after Aug. 1, 2020, and ending Dec. 27, 2020 at the latest.

U.S. Department of Commerce Continues to Invest Cares Act Funding to Boost Economic Development Programs Critical to Helping Communities Respond to Coronavirus (HERE)

• EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance, which is being administered under the authority of the bureau’s flexible Economic Adjustment Assistance (EAA) program, provides a wide-range of financial assistance to eligible communities and regions as they respond to and recover from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. For complete information, please visit EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance page.

VA Decreases Mail Processing Time for Claims Intake (HERE)

• The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today announced the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) has improved procedures by incorporating an artificial intelligence (AI) solution to reduce the time it takes to process in-coming mail from 10 days to just one day. 

Defense Officials Brief on Opening DODEA Schools during COVID-19 (HERE)

• Defense Department school students in kindergarten through grade 12 will be able to attend in person, remotely or virtually during the coming school year, the director of the Department of Defense Education Activity said.

For the most up-to-date information, please see the CDC’s website: www.coronavirus.gov.

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