U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) this week joined U.S. Sen. Rob Portman’s (R-Ohio) Healthy Workplaces Tax Credit Act.
Blackburn said in an emailed press release that the legislation will help businesses and nonprofits continue to safely reopen while ensuring the safety of employees and consumers. This, through a refundable tax credit against payroll taxes for 50 percent of the costs a business incurs for increased testing, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), disinfecting, and reconfiguring workspaces to follow social distancing guidelines.
“Tennessee businesses need a path to reopen safely. This legislation will relieve business owners of some of the financial burden associated with creating a safe work environment,” Blackburn said.
“Encouraging good COVID-19 practices through a tax credit is beneficial for employers, employees, and consumers, while also contributing to the larger goal of slowing the spread of this virus.”
According to the press release, the legislation will also help businesses reopen safely by encouraging and enabling businesses to take steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in their workplaces. The legislation would also limit this benefit to a maximum of $1,000 per employee for a business’s first 500 employees, $750 per employee for the next 500 employees, and $500 for each employee thereafter.
As The Tennessee Star reported last week, Blackburn said that protestors caused an uptick in COVID-19 cases, and she even seemed to suggest that the media conceals that information. Blackburn said this on her Facebook page.
Blackburn said this while sharing a Washington Post article about how the United States has responded to COVID-19. The article criticized how U.S. President Donald Trump has handled the outbreak and suggested that not enough Americans wear masks to guard themselves against the virus.
“Not one mention of hundreds of thousands of protestors across the country taking to the streets and violating CDC guidelines for weeks,” Blackburn wrote.
“The protests, cheered by Democrats and the media, were the super spreader. But now that is conveniently censored.”
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
