Louisiana Workers' Compensation Corporation, a LABI member company, has announced the launch of a private foundation to focus on advancing health, wellness, and safety in the workplace. LWCC is also committing $1.1 million to the foundation's Louisiana Well Again initiative, aimed at helping the state recover from the COVID-19 crisis. 

The Louisiana Well Again initiative will be implemented in three phases:

• Phase 1 is a $100,000 gift to Feeding Louisiana, a state-wide nonprofit organization that supports food banks across the state.
• Phase 2 is a $500,000 grants program that will help hospitals across the state support the work of COVID-19 frontline healthcare workers. Applications are currently open and funds will be distributed by June 2020.
• Phase 3 is a $500,000 grants program to fund initiatives focused on improving the health, wellness, and safety of Louisiana workers in the wake of the COVID-19 peak. These initiatives will implement long-term solutions targeting long-existing vulnerabilities in Louisiana workers. This grants program will begin later in 2020 once there is greater clarity on the impacts of COVID-19 on Louisiana’s workforce.

For more information on the LWCC Foundation and the Louisiana Well Again initiative, including guidance on grant applications, click HERE. 

Having received additional funding under the CARES Act, the National Endowment for the Humanities is awarding grants of up to $300,000 to museums, libraries and archives, historic sites, independent research institutions, professional organizations, colleges and universities, and other cultural organizations across the country. For more information and guidance on how to apply, click HERE. 

Click HERE for more Louisiana-based information on the grant program from the office of Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser.  

The US Federal Reserve System released new additional information last week about the Main Street Lending Program. Initially announced last month, the program provides businesses with loans at below-market interest rates. Businesses with fewer than 15,000 employees or 2019 revenues less than $5 billion are eligible to apply and loans can range from $500,000 to $25 million.

• For the Federal Reserve's answers to frequently asked questions about the loan program, click HERE. 
• Click HERE for an overview of the program from GNO, Inc. 

NOTE: The Federal Reserve is still working to get the program launched. Once it is operational, interested businesses should discuss the option with their lender.

Last week, the Internal Revenue Service has released additional information about the Employee Retention Tax Credit, including updated answers to frequently asked questions about the program. The FAQs cover employer eligibility, allocation of qualified health plan expenses, interaction with other COVID-19 relief provisions and more. Click HERE to read the updated FAQs. 

This week, the US Treasury Department released an updated set of answers to frequently asked questions about the Paycheck Protection Program. The FAQs address concerns about eligibility, particularly for businesses who have experienced ownership changes in the last few months. To read the FAQs, click HERE. 

Today, the Louisiana State Fire Marshal released guidelines for restaurants to reopen their outdoor seating areas in compliance with Governor John Bel Edwards' directives. Restaurants will need to require spacing of groups, limit the concentration of people, adhere to strict use of PPE, and frequent sanitizing. To read the entire guidance from the State Fire Marshal, click HERE. 

LABI's national partners at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have released new information and guidance regarding the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 crisis. 

• To see guidance on OSHA's regulations for workplace safety and Coronavirus exposure, click HERE. 
• For a backgrounder on health coverage options for individuals who have lost employer sponsored coverage due to the coronavirus, click HERE. 
• To see a backgrounder on unemployment insurance provisions under the CARES Act, click HERE. 

For more COVID-19 information for business, visit the US Chamber's website. 

In response to the concerns of employers during COVID-19, the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has released new information on steps employers can take to remain compliant with EEO laws. The guidance provides answers to questions that many companies have as they work remotely or adjust operations to remain compliant with safety regulations. To read the complete guidance, click HERE. 

Last week, the New Orleans Chamber hosted two webinars to discuss small business loans under the Paycheck Protection Program, including critical information that can ensure forgiveness. These conversations featured local experts who spoke about the loans at length and answered questions from participants. To watch both webinars on demand and view the accompanying Power Point Presentations, click below. 

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In order to provide more information to companies and their employees during the COVID-19 crisis, the Baton Rouge Area Chamber is hosting webinars to discuss topics such as health concerns for employees and customers, and turning your PPP loan into a grant. 

To view BRAC's previous webinars and other resources for businesses, click HERE to visit their COVID-19 webpage.

Ochsner Health, a LABI member company, hosted a webinar to discuss the best health practices for companies so their employees are able to safely return to work. Moderated by Ochsner CEO Warner Thomas, the session featured presentations and updates from company executives and medical experts. To watch the full webinar, click HERE. 

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One Acadiana hosted a webinar with business and marketing experts to discuss how companies can embrace innovation and creativity to sustain their operations and support economic recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. To watch the full webinar on demand, click HERE.

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Governor John Bel Edwards' office announced via social media that he will be formally unveiling his new COVID-19 directives at a press conference tomorrow, May 11 at 2:30 pm. The Governor's new orders will take effect after the expiration of the current "Stay at Home" proclamation on Friday, May 15.

To watch Governor Edwards' announcement live tomorrow, click HERE.  

BESE President Sandy Holloway announced today that the state's highest education board would meet Wednesday, May 20 to select a new Superintendent of Education. BESE previously announced six finalists for the position in April, and made the applicants' materials and video interviews available to the public. To access the information about the finalists, click HERE. 

To read more about Holloway's announcement from The Advocate, click HERE.

Last week, LABI launched a new podcast, "Deep Dive," with former Superintendent John White as the first guest. During the interview, White spoke about what is needed to run the Louisiana's largest educational system and what, in his opinion, schools will need moving forward. To listen to the podcast, click HERE. 

his morning, LABI President Stephen Waguespack joined WWL Radio in New Orleans to discuss what reopening of Louisiana's economy should look like. Stephen and host Tommy Tucker spoke about what companies can learn from how essential businesses have handled the COVID-19 crisis and the safe and responsible ways to get Louisianans back to work. To hear the complete interview, click below.  

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Friday, the Resilient Louisiana Commission's Education and Workforce Task Force met to discuss solutions to the state's pressing economic and employment problems. The goal of the task force is to identify ways to connect workers impacted by the COVID-19 crisis to relevant training as soon as possible. LABI Senior Vice President Camille Conaway serves as a member of the group. 

During the meeting, the Task Force noted: 

• More than half of Americans have lost their jobs, have reduced hours, or less income. In addition, six in ten workers still employed are worried they may lose their job as well.
• 28 million American have canceled their education plans, even as one-third of the workforce feel they would need additional education to replace their lost job. If they could choose, 75% would select a non-traditional path for that additional education – through an employer or an online program – rather than a traditional brick-and-mortar classroom or institution. 
• Louisiana’s jobless claims now total more than 360,000. More than 100,000 are in the accommodation and food services sector, but healthcare ties for second with the retail sector at 60,000 job losses each.

To view the Power Point Presentation from the meeting, click HERE. To watch a recording of the meeting, click HERE. 

Friday, the Resilient Louisiana Commission's Education and Workforce Task Force met to discuss solutions to the state's pressing economic and employment problems. The goal of the task force is to identify ways to connect workers impacted by the COVID-19 crisis to relevant training as soon as possible. LABI Senior Vice President Camille Conaway serves as a member of the group. 

During the meeting, the Task Force noted: 

More than half of Americans have lost their jobs, have reduced hours, or less income. In addition, six in ten workers still employed are worried they may lose their job as well.

28 million American have canceled their education plans, even as one-third of the workforce feel they would need additional education to replace their lost job. If they could choose, 75% would select a non-traditional path for that additional education – through an employer or an online program – rather than a traditional brick-and-mortar classroom or institution. 

Louisiana’s jobless claims now total more than 360,000. More than 100,000 are in the accommodation and food services sector, but healthcare ties for second with the retail sector at 60,000 job losses each.

To view the Power Point Presentation from the meeting, click HERE. To watch a recording of the meeting, click HERE. 

Yesterday, LABI President Stephen Waguespack joined Fox 8 in New Orleans to discuss reopening Louisiana's economy and steps that the organization wants to see the Edwards administration take. Stephen spoke with reporter Sabrina Wilson about a free-enterprise approach to reopening and the untenable position that many companies find themselves in at the moment. To see more, click HERE. 

Friday, Southeastern Louisiana University President John Crain announced that the school would be launching a grant program for students, using $5 million in funding received under the CARES Act. Eligible students will be notified by the university on how to apply and awards are expected to be distributed in the coming weeks. 

To read SLU's official announcement from President Crain, click HERE. 

The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI) today released policy recommendations to help stabilize public education and address the dire workforce needs facing our state as Louisiana phases out of the initial response to COVID-19. 
 

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The Louisiana economy has seen job losses top 300,000 with thousands of businesses shuttered entirely. While the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic hit the hospitality, retail, and healthcare sectors the hardest, as time goes on, consumer spending will stall and companies will begin to retain capital and cut costs as they attempt to prepare for an unpredictable future. No industry sector is unaffected. The coronavirus epidemic necessitated an unprecedented shut-down of the economy to manage the virus. While Louisiana is succeeding at “flattening the curve,” the consequence has been staggering job and business losses. Federal aid, combined with state programs, is providing some short-term relief, but it is critical that we restart the economy as soon and as safely possible. Not doing so will have grave economic and health consequences of its own.

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Yesterday, GNO, Inc. released their plan for restarting the economy in the Greater New Orleans region and reopening businesses with a responsible and safety-first approach. The proposal provides robust industry-specific recommendations and a framework to safely restart the economy, as well as opportunities for the future. GNO, Inc. developed this document in partnership with many stakeholders, ranging from regional companies, to industry associations, to national consultancies, to global country examples. To read the full plan, click HERE.