ASAE Coronavirus Issue Roundup
July 20, 2020
As the worldwide COVID-19 crisis continues, associations are experiencing drastic impacts on their conferences, membership, and operations. These resources are compiled here to help you stay informed on this rapidly evolving situation.
ASAE LEARNING GOES VIRTUAL THROUGH 2020
With the public health and safety of the ASAE community of utmost concern, ASAE will hold all meetings, conferences, and other scheduled learning programs virtually for the balance of 2020.
ASAE’s learning content has been entirely virtual during the COVID-19 pandemic, and ASAE is currently planning its first-ever fully Virtual ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition August 10-12 to replace the in-person Annual Meeting that had been planned for Las Vegas.
”The good news is that the pandemic has made us accustomed to rapid change, and we have the technology platforms to deliver exceptional learning content and continue to inform, educate, and inspire our community in a virtual experience,” said ASAE President and CEO Susan Robertson, CAE.
More ASAE Updates: ASAE is constantly evaluating its operations, programs, and services in light of the pandemic and making adjustments as needed. Read more about the impact of COVID-19 on ASAE operations, in-person programs, and membership renewals.
ADVOCACY UPDATE
Tax extension. The IRS announced April 9 that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, tax returns and payments for tax-exempt organizations and fiscal-year businesses due between April and June are now delayed until July 15, 2020.
The extension announced by Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin includes excise taxes that associations and other tax-exempt organizations pay on certain executive compensation. ASAE had asked Treasury and the IRS for this relief while associations continue to experience extreme revenue losses during the coronavirus pandemic.
CARES Act and interim funding legislation. In March, Congress passed the CARES Act, a $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief package to provide Americans emergency aid and help combat the pandemic. Two provisions in the CARES Act apply to 501(c)(6) associations: an employee retention payroll tax credit and emergency Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) grants that can be used for payroll costs, rent or mortgage payments, or repaying obligations that cannot be met because of revenue losses. However, associations were not included in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which received an additional infusion of funds in a $484 billion interim package of new COVID-19 relief passed by Congress on April 23. That bill also included additional funding for the EIDL program.
On April 14, ASAE and more than 4,300 organizations across the country sent a letter to Congress and the administration asking that associations be included in the PPP. There are encouraging signs that the message is being heard on Capitol Hill. Reps. Chris Pappas (D-CT) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) sent a letter, with 60 bipartisan signatories, to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi requesting association relief. In a major development, Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) Joe Manchin (D-WV) sent a bipartisan letter with 18 signatories to Senate and Small Business Committee leadership, which urgently requests that associations gain access to the relief they critically need.