CEO DATELINE - Report: U.S. Chamber takes lead in effort to pass COVID-19 liability protections
CEO DATELINE - Report: U.S. Chamber takes lead in effort to pass COVID-19 liability protections
- August 26, 2020 |
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Walt Williams
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce drafted legislation backed by Republicans that would shield businesses from COVID-19-related lawsuits brought by employees and customers, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.
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The draft legislation, written by the Chamber's Institute for Legal Reform, has been circulated to both state and federal lawmakers, according to the Post. Liability protection has been a top priority not for just the Chamber but for many associations, which say their business members cannot fully recover from the pandemic with the cloud of expensive litigation hanging over their heads.
"What we're concerned about, and advocating for with Congress, is you don't want to wait until all the cases are filed … you have to deal with this beforehand," Matthew Webb, senior vice president for legal reform policy at the Chamber, said in a teleconference uploaded on YouTube and viewed by the Post.
Liability protection has been a sticking point for Democrats and Republicans in negotiations over another stimulus package. Democrats generally oppose the measure while Republicans support it. Webb said the Chamber has worked closely with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) on getting liability protections into any relief measures coming out of Congress.
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