In this Ropes & Gray podcast, benefits partners Loretta Richard and Josh Lichtenstein discuss the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (also known as the CARES Act) in the context of 401(k) plans and other tax-qualified defined contribution retirement plans, including coronavirus-related distributions and loans that can be taken from qualified defined contribution
Update: On Wednesday, March 18, the Senate voted (90-8) to approve the Families First Coronavirus Response Act without amendment, and the President signed it into law. Congress and the administration are now referring to the Act as “Phase 2” of its response to the coronavirus emergency. “Phase 1” included $8.3 billion of appropriations toward vaccine development and prevention efforts. Today, the Treasury released its framework for “Phase 3.” The current proposal for Phase 3 would deal with, among other things, direct payments to individual taxpayers, the creation of a small business interruption loan program, and appropriations toward the airline industry and other distressed sectors. Treasury’s Phase 3 framework can be found here. The Senate is expected to begin negotiations on Phase 3 immediately. Ropes & Gray will track these developments and provide additional alerts as information becomes available.
Introduction
On Friday night, March 13, 2020, the House of Representatives passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (the “Original Bill”) to bolster the federal government’s response to the coronavirus outbreak and address the severe impact of the coronavirus on Americans’ personal safety and financial security. On Monday evening, March 16, the House passed by unanimous consent a revised version of the bill (the “Revised Bill”).