On March 14, 2020, the House passed the Families First
Coronavirus Response Act (H.R. 6201). On March 18, 2020, the Senate
passed the bill, and President Trump quickly signed it into law the
same day.
The Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion
Act amends the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to
require all private employers of fewer than 500 workers
(i.e., even those with fewer than 50 employees) to provide
leave to workers who need to care for children without schooling or
day care because of COVID-19. The first 10 days of the leave is
unpaid, and employees can apply accrued paid time off benefits to
that window. After this 10-day period, employers must provide paid
family leave up to $200/day or $10,000 in the aggregate using a
formula announced in the Act. These FMLA provisions become
effective April 2, 2020.
