COVID-19 Home Test, Biden's Projected Impact on HR Issues and Employment-based Immigration

(From CNN) The US Food and Drug Administration has issued an emergency use authorization for the first self-test for Covid-19 that can provide rapid results at home. The rapid test, which utilizes a molecular amplification technology to detect the virus in people with known or suspected Covid-19, is authorized for people 14 and older and people under 13 when performed by a health care provide. The FDA says it can return results in 30 minutes. While the data is still preliminary, the self Covid-19 home test could be one more step to addressing the pandemic and reducing the public burden of disease transmission, according to FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn.

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(From SHRM) Four years ago, Donald Trump's election had a significant impact on HR professionals, as it kicked off a process in which many federal regulations implemented by the Obama administration were revised and overturned. To better understand how the new Democratic administration may attempt to change many of those regulations, SHRM has compiled an overview of human resources areas most likely to be impacted by the new administration, including:

• Health Care Insurance: Expect maintained or expanded coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Biden also supports a public option similar to Medicare that would cover primary care without co-payments and allow Americans ages 60 to 64 to enroll in Medicare.
• Paid Leave: The recently-proposed FAMILY Act would provide workers with up to 12 weeks of partial income for workers when they take time for a serious health condition, pregnancy and recovery from childbirth, or the serious health condition of a child, parent or spouse. It would also cover birth or adoption of a child, as well as Specific military caregiving and leave purposes.
• LGBTQ Rights: Biden has said his administration will enact the Equality Act to end legal discrimination against LGBTQ+ people and expand economic opportunities for LGBTQ+ people, among other measures.

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(From SHRM) US President-elect Joe Biden plans to increase the number of high-skilled visas, including the H-1B, and eliminate the limit on employment-based visas by country, both of which are expected to expedite the flow of high-skilled workers from countries such as India and China who face inordinately long waits for employment-based green cards and would clear the wait list in less than a decade.

Biden's platform also outlines new rules for increase the required wages employers must pay their H-1B workers; redefine degrees, occupations and employer-employee relationships eligible for the visas; and replace the annual H-1B visa random lottery. However, these plans will be contingent on which party controls the Senate and the course of the coronavirus pandemic, which continues to spike across the country, leaving millions of workers unemployed.

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