Good morning,
As you may know, the I-68 Regional Alliance is a coalition of economic development organizations from across the five-county, tri-state region, including Allegany and Garrett Counties in Maryland, Mineral County in West Virginia and Somerset and Bedford Counties in Pennsylvania, representing a Region of thousands of small businesses that employ tens of thousands of employees in a multitude of industries. On behalf of our workers, their families and our small business owners, we ask that you advocate for changes to the FFCRA that will shift the burden of administering sick and family leave from our small business owners to the government.
As noted in our attached letter, we fear that these mandates will accelerate small and medium business closures, and we already know that some of our smaller businesses have laid off workers due to their concerns about the implementation of this law. If corrective measures are not taken immediately, we anticipate many more employers, particularly the smallest and most vulnerable of our businesses, those that create vibrancy and a sense of community, like cafes, restaurants and other small retailers, will close in the immediate future, perhaps never to reopen.
As time is of the essence, we ask that you please forward the attached letter to your boss’s and any other relevant colleagues at your earliest convenience. Please also confirm receipt.
Thank you so much for your time and attention to this pressing matter. I hope you and your families are staying well!
With kind regards,
Jennifer