Republicans in the Senate are proposing protection from coronavirus lawsuits for five years, according to The Hill.
The proposal would retroactively prevent lawsuits in state courts related to personal injury or medical liability linked to coronavirus infections contracted between December 2019 through 2024 or whenever the Department of Health and Human Services ends the emergency declaration. Lawsuits would only be able to move forward in federal courts.
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has been adamant about getting coronavirus liability protections and said he won't pass another coronavirus stimulus bill without it.
"It must have, must, no bill will pass the Senate without liability protection for everyone related to the coronavirus. .... Nobody should have to face an epidemic of lawsuits on the heels of the pandemic that we already have related to the coronavirus," McConnell said during a stop in Kentucky this week.
Businesses, colleges, schools, health facilities, churches and other institutions would be legally liable if they refused to make "reasonable efforts" and "committed an act of gross negligence or intentional misconduct" in neglecting to follow public health guidelines.
"We think there's a path to talk about protecting businesses and workers and customers who come in, and that is our OSHA provision. But again, let's hear what everybody has to say," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi,D-Calif., told reporters last week.
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