Texas Border Business
Today, the U.S. Chamber led a Day of Action, organizing supporters to urge Congress to pass temporary, targeted liability protection for businesses, schools, and universities to get people back to work, students back to school, and our economy moving again. Using the hashtag #JobsNotLawsuits, Americans across the country made their voices heard.
Why it matters: Harold Kim, U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform president, recently noted the importance of liability protections. “Plaintiffs’ lawyers are spending millions of dollars on advertising to recruit new clients so they can sue everyone from big box stores to fast-food restaurants to the local corner market,”he wrote. “With a disease as widespread as COVID-19, it will be nearly impossible for a business, nonprofit organization, school, doctor or hospital to defend themselves against someone who claimed to catch the virus on their premises.”
What’s more, according to a U.S. Chamber and MetLife Small Business Coronavirus Impact Poll taken earlier this year, two-thirds (67%) of small businesses are worried about coronavirus-related lawsuits.
Legislation the Chamber supports in the Senate would ensure “entities that are working hard to follow the appropriate health guidelines don’t face an impossible choice: shut down again and risk bankruptcy or stay open and risk a crippling lawsuit,” Kim adds.
What you can do:
- Send a letter to Congress urging it to pass liability protections.
- Use the #JobsNotLawsuits hashtag and these social media graphics on social media.
Looking ahead: Tomorrow, the Chamber will lead a second Digital Day of Action. On Tuesday, we will ask for relief for nonprofits that comprise the fabric of our communities, such as local and state chambers of commerce, industry associations, and tourism groups.
- You can get a head start by sending a letter to Congress.
- Tomorrow, use the #SaveNonprofits hashtag and these social media graphics.
