GOP Virus Plan Backstops Businesses, Boosts Child-Care Aid

Senate Republicans’ opening bid in the next round of stimulus negotiations would shield employers from virus-related lawsuits from workers and invest $15 billion to help child-care providers stay afloat.

The Senate majority’s long-awaited response to House Democrats’ $3.5 trillion HEROES Act passed in mid-May was rolled out Monday evening as individual pieces of legislation, including measures authored by Sens. Lamar Alexander (Tenn.), John Cornyn (Texas), Richard Shelby (Ala.), and Chuck Grassley (Iowa).

Much attention in the coming high-stakes negotiations will land on Senate Republicans’ marquee proposal to temporarily lower expanded unemployment benefits and then shift states ...