Reps. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, on Friday announced their proposal, which would apply to American workers who earned less than $65,000 during 2019.
"In order to alleviate the economic fallout of the coronavirus, we must ensure hard-working Americans have money in their pockets and are able to pay their bills," Khanna said. "This plan is about providing real, urgently needed relief to middle and working-class families."
While the lawmakers have yet to release legislative text for the proposal, they're hopeful it may be included in a future legislative package addressing the coronavirus, a spokesperson for Khanna, Heather Purcell, told Law360.
Similarly, Rep. Ross Spano, R-Fla., introduced a bill on March 12 that would provide a tax credit for companies that allow their employees to work remotely.
H.R. 6219, the SAFE at Work Act of 2020, would allow employers to benefit from a tax credit worth $1,200 annually, for the 2020 and 2021 tax years, for each employee they allow to telework for at least 12 days per month.
"Encouraging employers to provide telework options to their employees is a simple step that can go a long way to prevent against unnecessary spread of the virus and keep American workers and their families safe," Spano said in a statement.
Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-NJ., also introduced legislation earlier in March that would restore the Orphan Disease Research Tax Credit, which was cut in half by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
.H.R. 6238, Cameron's Law, would provide a 50% tax credit for the clinical testing costs pharmaceutical companies incur while developing so-called orphan drugs, which are designed to combat rare diseases, defined as those affecting fewer than 200,000 individuals.
--Editing by Vincent Sherry.
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