{"id":43225,"date":"2021-09-15T17:10:56","date_gmt":"2021-09-15T17:10:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2021\/09\/15\/industry-lawmakers-push-to-extend-and-expand-covid-reimbursements\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:34:16","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:34:16","slug":"industry-lawmakers-push-to-extend-and-expand-covid-reimbursements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2021\/09\/15\/industry-lawmakers-push-to-extend-and-expand-covid-reimbursements\/","title":{"rendered":"Industry, lawmakers push to extend and expand COVID reimbursements"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2015 Prized pandemic<\/a> protections for defense contractors would be made permanent under the House\u2019s defense policy bill, up for floor consideration next week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The safeguards, originally from Section 3610 of the CARES Act<\/a>, allowed the Pentagon to reimburse contractors for paid leave if employees aren\u2019t working due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Congress has had to act several times to renew the reimbursement authority, currently set to lapse after Sept. 30.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The permanent protections are based on legislation from Reps. Rob Wittman, R-Va., and Anthony Brown, D-Md., called the Just in Case Act, which proposed expanded coverage for other emergencies, like hurricanes and floods. However, the bill passed out of committee with narrower, pandemic-specific language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Industry groups are pressing for the broader emergency powers to be included in the final National Defense Authorization Act for 2022 and for a short-term extension in the meantime. Both the National Defense Industrial Association and Professional Services Council said extending and expanding the 3610 reimbursement authority is their top legislative priority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe do believe it\u2019s ridiculous to have the authority necessary to retain the workforce be something that keeps expiring and having to be extended,\u201d said David Berteau, the Professional Services Council\u2019s president and chief executive. \u201cWe think there ought to be permanent authority that can be activated either at the agency level or the government-wide level, depending on the nature of a pandemic or other emergency situation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kea Matory, the National Defense Industrial Association\u2019s director of legislative policy, said \u201cwe have an opportunity to learn from our COVID-19 experiences and put in place tools that can help us respond in the future without having to recreate the wheel for the unforeseen emergencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019ll allow us not to have to go back to Congress every time, whether it\u2019s the continuing pandemic … or a hurricane like the Camp Lejeune got hit a few years ago,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\t