WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) has joined Senator Rob Portman’s (R-Ohio) Healthy Workplaces Tax Credit Act to help businesses and nonprofits continue to safely reopen while ensuring the safety of employees and consumers through a refundable tax credit against payroll taxes for 50 percent of the costs incurred by a business for increased testing, personal protective equipment (PPE), disinfecting, extra cleaning and reconfiguring work spaces to adhere to social distancing guidelines. 

“Tennessee businesses need a path to reopen safely. This legislation will relieve business owners of some of the financial burden associated with creating a safe work environment,” said Senator Blackburn. “Encouraging good COVID-19 practices through a tax credit is beneficial for employers, employees, and consumers, while also contributing to the larger goal of slowing the spread of this virus.” 

The Healthy Workplace Tax Credit will help businesses reopen safely while ensuring employee and customer confidence by:

• Providing a refundable tax credit against payroll taxes for 50 percent of the costs incurred by the business for COVID-19 testing, PPE, disinfecting, extra cleaning, and reconfiguring workspaces until the end of the year;
• Encouraging and enabling businesses to take the recommended steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in their workplaces;
• Limiting this benefit to a maximum of $1,000 per employee for a business’s first 500 employees, $750 per employee for the next 500 employees, and $500 for each employee thereafter – recognizing the disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 on small- and medium-sized businesses.