WASHINGTON—Ways and Means Republicans have introduced two new bills as part of their policy agenda to help Americans returning safely to a healthy workplace. These bills, the Healthy Workplace Tax Credit introduced by Rep. Tom Rice (R-SC) and the Workplace Testing Tax Credit introduced by Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ), will help businesses safely and responsibly reopen our economy and protect the health and well-being of workers.

The Healthy Workplace Tax Credit will help businesses reopen safely and restore worker and customer confidence. Here’s how:

• Encourages and enables businesses to take the recommended steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in their workplaces.
• Provides a refundable tax credit against payroll taxes for 50% of the costs incurred by the business for COVID-19 testing, personal protection equipment (PPE), disinfecting, extra cleaning, and reconfiguring workspaces.
• Is limited to $1,000 per employee for a business’s first 500 employees, $750 per employees for the next 500 employees, and $500 for each employee thereafter.

The Workplace Testing Credit, introduced by Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ), would allow businesses of all sizes to safely continue their operations and prioritize the health of their employees.

• Provides businesses with a refundable payroll tax credit based on their average number of employees.
• Caps the credit between $250 and $500 per employee depending on the size of the business.
• Covers 50% of the COVID-19 testing costs for companies working to support and maintain a healthy payroll.

Rep. Tom Rice said: “The coronavirus pandemic is impacting every American. As we continue to safely reopen, business owners will have to take unprecedented measures to protect their employees and patrons. Keeping Americans safe while getting back to work is a top priority.  It’s important we reconnect workers to jobs and prevent more business closures. Our healthy workplace tax credit will support businesses as they reopen by incentivizing them to take extra precautions to protect the health of patrons and employees.”

Rep. David Schweikert said: “As businesses in Arizona and across the nation continue to face the ongoing challenges presented by COVID-19, it is critical for Congress to pass legislation that will ease the burden on business owners providing testing for their employees in order to support their health and safety. This tax credit will empower businesses to make expansive testing of their employees possible while helping to support a healthy labor force. Giving our businesses the tools they need to prioritize health and safety in the workplace will allow them to continue to grow and support our economy during these challenging times.”

Ways and Means Republican Leader Kevin Brady, R-Texas, said: “Americans deserve to see their doctors, go to the store, and work to provide for their families—but they need to do so confidently and safely. Ways and Means Republicans are putting forward common-sense proposals like the Healthy Workplace Tax Credit and the Workplace Testing Tax Credit as part of an agenda to help workers return safely to a healthy workplace. I’m thankful to Rep. Rice and Rep. Schweikert for introducing these bills.”

Want to read more on the fight against Coronavirus? Read our Coronavirus Bulletin here which contains our extensive FAQ about recent federal actions.