MAINE STATE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
  • About Us
    • Connect with Us
    • Affiliates & Partners
    • Our Board
    • Meet the Team
    • President's Message
    • External Social Media Policy
  • Membership
    • Benefits of Membership
    • Join the Chamber
    • Return on Investment
    • Member Search
  • Public Policy
    • Public Hearings of Interest
    • Legislation of Interest
    • Public Policy Committees
    • Grassroot Resources
    • Find Your Legislator >
      • Representatives
      • Senators
  • Events
    • Calendar of Events
    • 2022 Annual Meeting
    • Sponsorship Opportunities
    • Business Day at the Statehouse
    • Board Meetings & Board Events
    • DC Fly-In
    • Legislative Social
    • Policy Issues Workshops
    • Regional Breakfasts
    • Scramble for Scholars
    • Webinars by The Maine State Chamber of Commerce
  • Initiatives
    • Campus Career Connect
    • Dream It. Do It.
    • Education Foundation
    • Keep Maine Competitive
    • Maine Economic Research Institute (MERI)
    • This is ME Counting on You
    • Senior Leaders of Tomorrow Development Program
  • Newsroom
    • COVID-19 Resources
    • Impact Newsletter
    • MSCC Blog
    • The Bottom Line
    • The Maine Take
    • Making Maine Work
    • MERI Roll Call
    • OneVoice Maine Magazine
    • Policy Brief Series with Educate Maine
    • Press Kit
  • Member Login


 

The Daily Edition for Friday, April 3, 2020

To view this in your browser, click here.

 

 

Welcome to your daily Impact newsletter!

As a valued member of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, we plan to stay in touch with you every afternoon, through emails like this one and on Facebook and Twitter, until the pandemic passes. We intend to provide you with the latest state and federal information, as well as highlighting the creativity and innovation that is occuring here in Maine during this unpredictable and rapidly changing time. To assist you in navigating the uncertainties ahead, we have created a diverse and comprehensive collection of web-based resources to help you take care of yourself and your family, your employees, your business, and your community. If there is anything you need, please reach out.

We are here to help in any way we can!

 

 

Notabel Changes to the Paycheck Protection Program

Information regarding the federal package and its implementation continues to evolve daily. We are in the process of updating our online resources, but wanted to make you aware of a few important changes. The Small Business Administration issued its much-anticipated Paycheck Protection Program Interim Final Rule, providing guidance on the implementation of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and on loan forgiveness for amounts loaned by the SBA loans under the PPP. Among the changes are added requirements on appropriate uses of proceeds of a PPP loan, and an increase in the fixed interest rate on loans made under the program from 0.5% to 1%, in response to feedback that the original terms could have prevented community banks from participating in the program.

 

 

PPP Forgivable Loan Program: How to do the Math

Thousands of articles are circulating about the new Paycheck Protection Program under the CARES Act signed into law on March 27. Having a general idea about how this program works is good, but if you have questions about the math, then this article from Verrill should prove helpful. It is a slightly simplified explanation of how to compute the loan amount and the forgivable amount, although the precise numbers will differ slightly due to the details of the program.

 

Also, links to the Paycheck Protection Plan borrower and lenders forms were released yesterday evening by the U.S. Department of Treasury. They will also be

 

 

From the DOL Commissioner:

Federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act

Effective April 1, 2020

 

We are sharing with you this April 3 letter from the Commissioner of the Maine Department of Labor to Maine Employers regarding the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), which became effective this week.

On Wednesday, April 1, the new Families First Coronavirus Response Act went into effect. This federal Act requires some employers in Maine to provide their employees with paid sick leave and expanded medical leave for reasons related to COVID-19.

 

The new federal requirements apply to covered employers as defined in the Act, which includes most businesses with fewer than 500 employees and almost all public employers. The Act allows for these businesses to be reimbursed for expenses they incur to provide required paid leave through a payroll tax credit. Certain businesses with fewer than 50 employees can seek an exemption. Businesses must seek this exemption at the federal level.

 

Employees of covered public and private employers may be eligible for up to two weeks of emergency paid sick leave (80 hours) at full pay, and in some cases up to an additional 10 weeks of emergency paid family medical leave at partial (two-thirds) pay.

 

The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) is responsible for implementation and enforcement of the Act. Please visit their website for more information, including answers to a wide range of anticipated questions from both employees and employers. You will also find posters that employers will be required to display at their worksites.

 

WHD will post a recorded webinar on Friday, April 3, 2020, to provide interested parties a more in-depth description and help them learn more about the FFCRA. WHD invites webinar viewers to call the agency's toll-free help line at 866-4US-WAGE to speak with a trained WHD professional about any questions they may have. They have also provided a website for comments and suggestions from employers, workers and the public. The WHD has posted additional updates to the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. There are now answers to 79 Q&As as the U.S. DOL continues to answer questions that are coming in through their national online dialogue.

 

Information on other new developments at the state and federal levels such as a separate stimulus package (the CARES Act) will be posted and distributed when it is available. MDOL is currently waiting for additional guidance from USDOL on the implementation.

 

Thank you and best regards,

Laura Fortman, Commissioner, Maine Department of Labor

 

 

Join the Maine State Chamber on Tuesday, April 7

for a Special Webinar Presentation:

What Every Employer Needs to Know During Covid-19

As employers have been wrestling with the financial impact of the COVID-related shut-down of major sectors of the Maine and U.S. economies, there has been an avalanche of remedial legislation at both the state and federal level directed at easing the impact on employers and employees alike. However, when legislation is enacted this quickly, it's inevitable that it will create many questions.

 

This webinar will get you up to speed on the latest guidance and understanding concerning the emergency paid sick leave, expanded Family Medical Leave, and payroll tax credit provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. We'll do the same for the enhancements to unemployment benefits under the CARES Act and Maine's Emergency Unemployment Act.

 

Join Katy Rand of Pierce Atwood and Peter Gore of the Maine State Chamber as they help you understand what you need to know to make critical decisions for your workforce and your business.

 

To register in advance for this meeting, please click here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. If you have questions you'd like to make sure we answer, please click here to submit them.

 

 

LISC, Verizon Small Business Grant Application Goes Live: #PayItForward

Verizon has committed to an initial fund of $2.5 million with LISC, with the potential of an additional $2.5 million to provide critical relief to small businesses and non-profits facing immediate financial threats. U.S. Bank also has contributed another $500,000 to the fund. Apply by clicking here. The application process for the LISC Rapid Relief and Resiliency Fund is now open, and applications must be submitted by April 4 at 11:59 p.m. to be considered. For questions, please contact verizongrantsinfo@lisc.org.

 

 

New U.S. Chamber / MetLife Poll: One in Four Small Businesses on Brink of Permanent Closure, Half Eyeing Temporary Shutdown

A new poll taken from March 25-28, 2020, and released today from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and MetLife reveals that one in four small businesses (24%) say they are two months or less from closing permanently amid the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic. One in 10 (11%) are less than one month away from permanently going out of business.

 

Additionally, about one in four (24%) small businesses have already shut down temporarily in response to COVID-19. Among those that have not, 40% say they are likely to close at least temporarily within the next two weeks. This means a total of 54% of all small businesses report that they have closed or expect to close temporarily in the next 14 days.

 

When asked what proposals might offer the most relief, small businesses indicated support for three key provisions included in the recently enacted Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act:

* 56% of small business say direct cash payments to Americans would be the most helpful form of aid from the government;

* followed by loans and financial aid (30%; and,

* suspending payroll taxes (21%).

 

The full report relays findings on small business owners' level of concern, changes they are making in order to continue operating, resources and relief programs needed over the next couple of months, and predictions on when the U.S. small business climate will return to normal. Key findings include:

* 43% of small businesses say they are 3-6 months away from permanently shutting down, 24% say they are two months or less from closing permanently, and 1 in 10 that say they are less than 1 month away from permanently shutting down.

* 24% of small businesses report having temporarily closed their business in the last two weeks.

* Among those who haven't temporarily shut down yet, 40% report it is likely they will do so within the next two weeks. This means a total of 54% of all small businesses are reporting they have closed or could close within the coming weeks.

* 54% of small business owners now rate the overall health of the U.S. economy as "poor," and 32% feel the same about their local economy.

* 59% of small business owners feel comfortable with their cash flow, compared to 80% last quarter.

* The most common business responses to the COVID-19 disruption are shortening hours of operation (30%), temporarily closing (24%), and adjusting employee salaries or hours (17%).

* 84% of small business owners say they are concerned about the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on their business, and a majority (58%) are very concerned, especially those in the Northeast and in the service industry.

 

 

Maine Jobless Claims Surge to New Record as Coronavirus Stresses Economy

On Thursday, April 2, the Bangor Daily News reported that more Mainers filed for unemployment last week than in the record-setting previous week as the new coronavirus outbreak places the U.S. economy under immense stress at an unprecedented pace. Unemployed workers in the state submitted 23,761 new claims for the week from March 22 to 28, up from the previous week's 21,459, according to Maine Department of Labor data released Thursday. In the week from March 8 to 14, before strict limits were placed on business activity, the claims were 634. Initial claims averaged 800 in the same week in 2018 and 2019. Before the virus began spreading worldwide in December, Maine's unemployment rate had been on a record pace of being below 4 percent for 50 consecutive months in February, at 3.2 percent adjusted seasonally.

 

 

Friday, April 10 | U.S. Department of Labor hosts National Online Dialogue

As everyone works to implement the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), they may encounter unique questions that are not yet addressed in the U.S. DOL's guidance or in the temporary rule released recently, please consider submitting your questions to the national online dialogue.

 

The U.S. Department of Labor is hosting a national online dialogue, now extended until close of business on April 10, to provide employers and employees with an innovative opportunity to offer their perspective as the department develops compliance assistance materials and outreach strategies related to the implementation of the FFCRA. The ideas and comments gathered from this dialogue will inform compliance assistance guidance, resources, and tools, as well as outreach approaches, that assist employers and employees in understanding their responsibilities and rights under the FFCRA.

 

 

Share Your Story With Us!

The stories below are just a few examples of numerous Maine companies stepping up or pivoting to make the desperately-needed protective gear and other products, as Maine people resourcefully address the challenges of this pandemic. If your company is one of the many "Mainers helping Mainers," we want to hear your story!

 

 

BIW donates ventilators, keeps local eateries afloat during virus outbreak

On Tuesday, March 31, Bath Iron Works donated 3,200 medical-grade N95 respirators to MaineHealth. The face masks are being distributed to hospitals and other medical facilities in Maine based on need. Over the past week General Dynamics, BIW's parent company, donated more than 21,000 pieces of personal protective equipment to sites in New York City and Chicago including N95 masks, Tyvek and Kimberly Clark suits, boot covers and face masks.

 

A story in yesterday's Portland Press Herald noted, BIW started purchasing lunches last week for employees made by local restaurants, an arrangement that has kept some of those eateries afloat amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to the owners. In total, 13 local restaurants supply about 5,000 lunches per day.

 

"BIW has been a really big lifeline that's keeping us going," said Michael Quigg, owner of Beale Street Barbeque in Bath. "If this offer hadn't come through, we would've had to close or lay people off."

 

After Mills' initial order two weeks ago, John Brigance, owner of Midcoast Pizza and More in Bath said business dropped by 20-25% and he began weighing whether to lay off employees or take out a loan. Brigance said he makes between 500 and 700 sandwiches per day for the company. "BIW has saved us from taking out a loan or going under," said Brigance. "There is no way in the world we would've survived without BIW. We're not making a fortune, but it's allowing me to pay my employees and my bills."

 

Lisa Fraser, the owner of Fiona's Catering, was once able to bring her food truck into the shipyard to sell food to BIW employees but decided to stop when coronavirus began spreading rapidly throughout the state. She and her 11 employees make 500 to 600 meals per day for BIW workers.

 

In a message to employees, Dirk Lesko, president of BIW, wrote: "Here in Maine where store shelves are often bare and staff is stretched thin we've been blessed with support from local restaurants who are working night and day to provide boxed lunches for the shipbuilders of BIW."

 

 

New Balance Making Personal Masks In Two Northeast Factories

In a recent centralmaine.com article, representatives from New Balance said the company's factories in Norridgewock and Lawrence, Massachusetts, will begin producing a general-use face mask to help meet the urgent demand for personal protective equipment at its factory on Depot Street in Norridgewock. New Balance officials said that by mid-April, they hope to be producing as many as 100,000 masks per week between the factories in Maine and Massachusetts. New Balance's face mask design and materials are being assessed to ensure they meet standards set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and will result in a product "that can be confidently used by frontline medical staff." New Balance is also working on collaborative opportunities and on prototypes to produce other personal protective equipment, including gowns and foot coverings.

 

The company's announcement about mask production followed an announcement March 24 that the New Balance Foundation had given $2 million to help support local, regional and global communities amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

 

Maine biotech companies stepping up, and hiring, in COVID-19 fight

According to an article in today's Mainebiz, Maine's life science companies, representing a variety of products and services, are finding themselves on the forefront of the worldwide effort to stop COVID-19 and adding employees as they increase production.

 

Abbott Laboratories' production plant in Scarborough began Wednesday manufacturing 50,000 COVID-19 rapid tests a day. The test is capable of delivering positive results for the novel coronavirus in as little as five minutes and negative results in 13 minutes. The Scarborough location is the only place in the world making the rapid tests.

 

Puritan Medical Products in Guilford manufactures medical swabs used to collect specimens for coronavirus testing. The company is producing between 800,000 and 1 million swabs a week, and makes more than 1,200 types of swab and single-use sample collection devices for the medical, diagnostics, microbiology, forensics and other industries. It produces 5 billion swabs a day, many of them sterilized and for specialized uses.

 

The Baker Co. in Sanford designs and manufactures biological safety cabinets used in research laboratories by scientists studying diseases like COVID-19, as well as in health care settings for diagnosis and treatment. The company has received many rush orders from hospitals and public health laboratories and is putting those orders in the front of its production schedule.

 

Enercon Technologies in Gray manufactures diagnostic medical devices being used in the COVID-19 outbreak. Generally, the company designs and builds electronics instrumentation specializing in medical devices, life sciences, military and industrial instrumentation.

 

The Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor is breeding stocks of genetically engineered mice that can be used in research for COVID-19. The lab will distribute the transgenic mice at cost to infectious disease research labs around the world in the hope of providing the research communities with the resources needed for scientific discoveries leading to the development of therapies that will stem the outbreak.

 

BBI Solutions in Portland produces diagnostic reagents and provides assay development services that can accelerate tests to market and aid in the collection, interpretation and communication of test results.

 

 

L.L. Bean boxing food, not flannel, to help during pandemic

According to the Associated Press, the outdoors retailer is lending space and employees to help the Good Shepherd Food Bank get food to Mainers who need it during the pandemic. With many workers idled because of the coronavirus, L.L. Bean will use its shipping hub in Freeport to pack food for pantries across the state. The company's workers will sort and package food in boxes that the Good Shepherd Food Bank will ship to food pantries in all 16 counties. The arrangement will reduce Good Shepherd's reliance on local food pantry volunteers, many of whom are older and should be at home.

 

A recent Boston Globe article also featured L.L. Bean's transition to medical gear production. It started with a call from MaineHealth asking whether L.L. Bean might be able to address the severe shortage of protective gear that health care workers need to stay safe during the coronavirus outbreak. By Monday, March 30, twenty workers, clad in face masks and gloves and standing at least six feet apart, got to work at the company's Brunswick factory assembling masks out of the white nylon fabric typically used to line Bean dog beds. By the end of the shift, the Bean workers had produced 5,000 masks for MaineHealth, which has opted to help cover the cost of materials and labor.

 

 

To unsubscribe, click here.

Notice: In an ongoing effort to thwart the activities of online hackers, the Maine State Chamber
has researched and tested the links in this document and determined that they are safe.

 

Copyright Maine State Chamber of Commerce. All rights reserved.
 128 State Street | Suite 101 | Augusta, ME 04330-5630
 Phone: (207) 623-4568
For media inquiries, please contact Jen Webber, (207) 939-0213
For membership inquiries, please contact Mark Ellis. (207) 623-4568
  • About Us
    • Connect with Us
    • Affiliates & Partners
    • Our Board
    • Meet the Team
    • President's Message
    • External Social Media Policy
  • Membership
    • Benefits of Membership
    • Join the Chamber
    • Return on Investment
    • Member Search
  • Public Policy
    • Public Hearings of Interest
    • Legislation of Interest
    • Public Policy Committees
    • Grassroot Resources
    • Find Your Legislator >
      • Representatives
      • Senators
  • Events
    • Calendar of Events
    • 2022 Annual Meeting
    • Sponsorship Opportunities
    • Business Day at the Statehouse
    • Board Meetings & Board Events
    • DC Fly-In
    • Legislative Social
    • Policy Issues Workshops
    • Regional Breakfasts
    • Scramble for Scholars
    • Webinars by The Maine State Chamber of Commerce
  • Initiatives
    • Campus Career Connect
    • Dream It. Do It.
    • Education Foundation
    • Keep Maine Competitive
    • Maine Economic Research Institute (MERI)
    • This is ME Counting on You
    • Senior Leaders of Tomorrow Development Program
  • Newsroom
    • COVID-19 Resources
    • Impact Newsletter
    • MSCC Blog
    • The Bottom Line
    • The Maine Take
    • Making Maine Work
    • MERI Roll Call
    • OneVoice Maine Magazine
    • Policy Brief Series with Educate Maine
    • Press Kit
  • Member Login