📌 Link to the Text of the Act
📌 Why It Was Done
The FFCRA was enacted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to provide emergency paid sick leave, expanded family and medical leave, and free COVID-19 testing, while also funding nutrition assistance and unemployment programs.
📌 Pre-existing Law or Constitutional Rights
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA, 1993) provided unpaid job-protected leave, but did not cover pandemics or paid leave. FFCRA temporarily filled these gaps.
📌 Overreach or Proper Role?
Supporters said it was essential emergency relief for workers. Critics argued it imposed burdens on small businesses and was unevenly applied.
📌 Who or What It Controls
- •Employers with fewer than 500 employees (required to provide paid leave)
- •Employees (gained rights to paid sick leave and expanded family leave)
- •Federal and state agencies (funded testing, unemployment, and public health measures)
📌 Key Sections / Citations
- •Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (Division E)
- •Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act (Division C)
- •Nutrition Waivers and Pandemic EBT (Division B)
- •Unemployment and Medicaid funding provisions
📌 Recent Changes or Live Controversies
- •Paid leave provisions expired at the end of 2020 but were partially extended through tax credits
- •Sparked debates about creating permanent paid family leave in the U.S.
- •Oversight issues around implementation and employer exemptions
📌 Official Sources
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