1. Administration Calls for Additional Funding for PPP

One of the most popular programs created in the CARES Act, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), has released over $70 billion to small businesses to help them remain viable during this pandemic. Due to the large demand, the Administration has requested additional funding for that program in a letter to Congressional leaders.

NECA’s look Ahead: Senate Democrats requested an additional $250 billion for hospitals and local governments in addition to funding for the PPP while Republican leaders argued that funding for the PPP is the only account that requires additional immediate funding at this time. The Senate adjourned on April 9, 2020 unable to pass additional funding for the PPP under unanimous consent.

2. Treasury Guidance Clarifies Qualifications for PPP Borrowers

With the passage of the CARES Act, many agencies have been scrambling to enact the reforms and programs developed in rapid time. One such program, the Paycheck Protection Program, which allows substantial loans to be granted under favorable terms by the Small Business Administration, came under scrutiny for potentially requiring businesses to meet both size and revenue requirements instead of just the size requirements (under 500 employees) originally required. While this scrutiny came from an over-cautious interpretation of an earlier guidance, the Treasury Department offered additional guidance to make it clear to borrowers that they may meet either the revenue standards listed under a given NAICS code or qualify by having less than 500 employees. 

NECA’s Look Ahead: NECA worked with key leaders once the CARES Act was signed into law to attain greater clarity on this issue for our contractors. This new change will give NECA contractors the predictability they need to move forward with the new SBA loan program. We will continue to monitor the implementation of the CARES Act and continue to maintain in constant conversation with Congressional staff and agency officials to communicate the needs of our members. 

3. DOD Releases Rule on Payment to Small Business Contractors

Earlier this week the Department of Defense (DOD) released a final rule on the defining and implementation of accelerated payments to classified small businesses under DOD contracts. The rule (DFARS Case 2018–D068) which finalizes the implementation of a section from 2019’s National Defense Authorization Act urges the federal government to pay small business contractors within 15 days of the receipt of a proper invoice. While this is only a goal for the federal government and not a direct mandate, which NECA advocated for in the past, we view this final rule and its upcoming full implementation as a positive step forward.

NECA’s Look Ahead: We encourage NECA contractors to read the final rule and monitor its implementation on DOD contracts. With your feedback and on-the-ground experiences, we will be better able to make lawmakers and agency officials aware of its progress.

1. OSHA Issues Additional Guidance on COVID as Recordable Illness

On April 10, 2020, OSHA released updated enforcement guidance for recording cases of COVID-19. The guidance clarifies that OSHA’s recordkeeping requirement for COVID-19 as a recordable illness applies to those in the healthcare industry and emergency response organizations. OSHA will not enforce its recordkeeping requirements to employers outside of these sectors.

NECA’s Look Ahead: NECA has been working with OSHA to make this clarification to ensure that NECA contractors are not responsible for recording COVID-19 on their OSHA 300 logs on the basis that it is impossible to prove COVID-19 was contracted on the jobsite.

2. GSA Issues Order Allowing Electronic Signatures for Bonding

NECA Government Affairs has worked with allied groups in the construction industry to push the General Services Administration (GSA) to issue an order allowing bonding vendors and sureties to use electronic signatures instead of the typically required ‘wet’ signatures. By doing so, our contractors can receive bonding, necessary on a majority of jobs, sooner and with less unnecessary contact during these challenging times.  We are pleased to announce that this reform was recently issued. While this strictly applies to only GSA contracts, NECA government affairs, along with others, is working to spread this reform to the entirety of the federal government.

NECA’s Look Ahead: Our contractors commend the GSA for their prompt response and reasonable revision. NECA will continue to work with the GSA and other construction industry groups to push for responsible reform and the removing of barriers to our industry’s reinvigoration.

3. NECA Calls for Additional Funding for Paycheck Protection Program

NECA and many of its Chapters joined over two hundred trade associations in sending a letter to Congress to urge emergency funding for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The PPP has been very successful and widely utilized by the construction industry according to the Small Business Administration. The program ran out of funding on April 16, 2020.

NECA’s Look Ahead: With both the House and the Senate officially out of session until May, it  seems unlikely that Congress will be able to agree to and pass by unanimous consent, NECA remains committed to urging Congress to continue to fund this important program and return to Washington D.C. to start critical negotiations for Phase IV COVID-19 legislation. 

1. PPP Safe Harbor Deadline Extended

On May 5, 2020, the U.S. Treasury Department extended the safe harbor date for those that applied for a PPP loan prior to April 24, 2020. The original date, May 7, 2020, has been pushed back to May 14, 2020. Borrowers will not need to apply for the extension and additional guidance on how the SBA will review the certification will be provided shortly. NECA released the following alert pertaining to the extension and forthcoming guidance.

NECA’s Look Ahead: NECA is pleased by this extension after sending a letter to the Treasury department last week. We continue to advocate for NECA contractors as we move forward during this time.

2. Bill Introduced to Make 501(c)(6) organizations Eligible for PPP Loans

On May 5, 2020, Representatives Chris Papas (D-NH), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), and Greg Steube (R-FL) introduced H.R.6697 – “Local Chamber, Tourism, and 501(c)(6) Protection Act of 2020”. This NECA supported legislation would expand the Paycheck Protection Program by allowing 501(c)(6) organizations, such as NECA Chapters, to access the Paycheck Protection Program to meet payroll and other necessary expenses during this crisis. 

NECA’s Look Ahead: NECA will encourage the inclusion of this bill in any future COVID-19 relief package along with additional PPP reforms such as:

• Extending the PPP to more than eight weeks or allow companies to apply again after the first eight-week period ends.

• Increasing the qualified expenses covered under the Paycheck Protection Program to include nonpayroll expenses.

3. NECA Requests Infrastructure Support in Next COVID-19 Bill

NECA joined 71 trade associations and labor unions in a coalition letter to President Trump to encourage continued support for infrastructure in the next Phase of COVID-19 legislation.

NECA’s Look Ahead: NECA continues to advocate before the Administration and Congressional leaders for the inclusions of major infrastructure investment as a corner stone for the next phase of COVID-19 legislation, often referred to as Phase IV.

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President Trump recently signed a new coronavirus relief bill into law that will help replenish the depleted Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), among other initiatives. Below are the details of the relief package.
Details of the New Bill
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Stardock Entertainment continually breaks new technical ground across our catalog of PC game titles spanning 4X and Real-Time Strategy and Action Adventure. We are currently seeking a Graphics Programmer to work on our next-generation game engine for both announced and unannounced titles to build up our team of dedicated and experienced talent! This is a salaried, full-time position at our Plymouth, Michigan studio. Primary Responsibilities Include: Work with the artists and designers to produce next-generation graphics Troubleshoot technical issues related to graphics Optimize graphics to run on a variety of platforms and machine specifications   Create and maintain tools for artists to visualize and debug their assets  Education and/or Experience Desired: A Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering or related field 3+ years experience in C++ required Familiarity with 3D math, including quaternions and matrix math required Shipped at least one commercial game Experience with all core areas of graphics development (Shaders, Animation, Post-Effects, PBR Materials, and particles) while demonstrating a specialization in one of those areas required Critical eye for attention to detail Familiarity with 3D graphics hardware and driver stack Experience with at least one graphics API: OpenGL, Direct3D, Vulkan, Metal; and a shading language like HLSL or GLSL Experience developing on current generation or next-generation console is a plus  

Stardock Entertainment continually breaks new technical ground across our catalog of PC game titles spanning 4X and Real-Time Strategy and Action Adventure. We are currently seeking a Network Programmer to work on our next-generation game engine for both announced and unannounced titles to build up our team of dedicated and experienced talent! This is a salaried, full-time position at our Plymouth, Michigan studio.  Primary Responsibilities Include: Development of multiplayer connectivity and gameplay for real-time strategy-simulation games  Management of user-created content in a multiplayer environment Backend development of updating of the multiplayer game state across multiple machines Frontend development of login systems, lobbies, and in-game chat Develop fast, reliable and most importantly, fun multiplayer features in collaboration with gameplay and design teams Develop and maintain tools for testing and analysis of the multiplayer environment Investigate and resolve bugs related to multiplayer and networking  Education and/or Experience Desired: A Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or Software Engineering 3+ years of experience in developing and optimizing network code in C++ Shipped at least one commercial game  Experience using industry-standard tools for debugging network traffic such as Fiddler Experience with network optimization, and multi-threading Solid communication skills with colleagues, management and stakeholders  

Skydance Interactive – developers of the hit game The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners –is looking for Senior Software Engineers with specialties in AI, graphics, and low-level systems to help develop our next generation of groundbreaking games.   Duties include, but are not limited to: Direct development of major game systems and engine architecture Create efficient systems to deliver top tier experiences across a range of established and emerging platforms Research and implement new technologies to push the boundaries of what our engine can achieve Collaborate with the art and design teams to plan features and extend the overall vision of the game Advise and mentor other members of the engineering team Promote strong code discipline and engineering practice throughout the organization Work with other leads and producers to establish game related tasks and schedules Provide critical analysis of development practices with the goal of improving game quality, team efficiency, and cultivating a positive working environment Help drive the product to completion with the highest standards of quality, performance, and polish Requirements: BS/MS in Computer Science or related fields, or equivalent experience Mastery of C++11 Minimum of 5 years’ experience in AAA game development Previous leadership experience or demonstrated leadership potential Experience working with Unreal Engine 4 Shipped at least one PC/Console or VR game using UE4 Experience with code and data optimization Experience in the design and architecture of game systems Comfortable working within (and extending) an established code framework 

Game Closure San Francisco, Mountain View, Tokyo, Remote  -  Full Time Game Closure is on the hunt for backend / systems engineers to help us build the services and infrastructure that power our social games that are played by millions of people every day on Facebook, Viber, Line and other messaging platforms. We are a growing team with offices in Mountain View and San Francisco, California, Tokyo, Japan and some possibilities for remote work. If you want to join us to make great games on our cutting edge technology and truly make an impact, then we want to talk to you! As a Systems Engineer at Game Closure, you will play a pivotal role in creating a platform to revolutionize the instant games development industry. Our engineers are generally amazing at something and great at everything else. We write scalable backend systems, cross-compilers, JavaScript / TypeScript game APIs and tools, and whatever else it takes. No matter what you work on each day, you will work with the best engineers in the world; we have top talent in every part of our stack.   The Role: Be a key member of a high performing software engineering team. Architect and code sophisticated client/server systems for instant gaming. Play a critical role in day-to-day coding, performance profiling, optimization, and general troubleshooting. Collaborate with design, engineering, and production teams to devise optimal engineering solutions to game requirements. Learn from and mentor other engineers on your team. Take ownership of your projects to make them the best they can possibly be. Provide valuable input on the company’s long-term engineering roadmap and help identify areas of opportunity for improvement. Define the cutting edge of social gaming!   Desired Skills: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field, or equivalent experience. 3+ years of professional software engineering experience. Experience writing clean, testable, high-quality code and designing highly scalable systems in production. Solid familiarity with deployment on cloud environments (AWS, GCP, Azure, etc.). Strong Computer Science fundamentals in software systems design, algorithms, and data structures. Ability to interact with peers in a constructive and productive style. Familiarity with git, svn, or other VCS. Good communication skills and the ability to work effectively on shared projects with designers, artists, testers, product managers, and other developers. Strong team player with a positive attitude.   Bonus: Expert knowledge of NodeJS and ES6 / TypeScript. DevOps experience -- setting up CI/CD environments, orchestrating deployments, creating monitoring dashboards, anything that makes the development process easier, more enjoyable and more accountable. Experience in game development and shipped titles.   GC Perks: Medical, Dental, & Vision: Top quality insurance options with 100% of premiums covered Social Events: Weekly team dinners, quarterly team excursions, game nights, karaoke, and more Commuter Pass + Free Parking: Your commute and parking to the office is on us! PTO: Unlimited vacation policy Meals: Free daily lunches, well stocked kitchen, healthy snacks and drinks Pet-Friendly Office: Bring your pets to work to foster a friendlier and happier workplace Fitness: Free onsite yoga classes   Play our games! www.gameclosure.com

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