The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division has launched the Essential Workers, Essential Protections initiative to ensure that workers know about the wage and hour laws that protect them – and how to contact us to get the help they need. We are very pleased to share with you additional materials and information to support this initiative: […]
Author: Lisa Smith, SPHR
DOL Issues Guidance on the American Rescue Plan Act COBRA Subsidy On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed into law the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) that contains a new, temporary COBRA subsidy. From April 1, 2021 through September 31, 2021, the ARPA requires employers to cover 100% of an employee’s cost of continuing group health coverage […]
The premium tax credit helps pay for health insurance coverage bought from the Health Insurance Marketplace. Eligible people can choose to have all, some, or none of the estimated credit paid in advance directly to their insurance company on their behalf. These payments – which are called advance payments of the premium tax credit, advance credit payments, […]
On April 20, 2021, the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued guidance regarding employers’ obligation to record adverse reactions to the COVID-19 vaccine. The updated guidance clarifies that if an employer adopts a mandatory vaccination policy, an adverse reaction to the COVID-19 vaccine is recordable on an employer’s OSHA 300 log if […]
Attorney Blog, Human Resources
Targeted Health and Safety Inspections for Covid-19 Risks Begin in the United States
As President Biden has taken his seat, his Administration has ushered in the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration to start a program in order to implement inspections in industries and activities where there is a high risk of workers contracting Covid-19. At the beginning of the year, President Biden signed an executive […]
Federal Court Strikes Down Dallas Paid Sick Leave Ordinance The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas has permanently enjoined a controversial Dallas ordinance requiring employers to provide paid sick leave benefits to certain employees. The permanent injunction took effect on March 31, 2021. Dallas was the third city in Texas to enact […]
Restrictions on inquiring into, or using, criminal history information are not new to Illinois employers. For years, Illinois employers been precluded from using an applicant’s arrest history when making hiring or other employment decisions. And, in 2015, Illinois joined the list of “ban the box” states by precluding employers with 15+ employees from inquiring into […]
Via https://www.mmwr.com/alert-resource/philadelphia-requires-paid-covid-19-sick-leave-for-related-reasons/ Effective March 29, 2021, Philadelphia amended and expanded the Public Health Emergency Leave (“PHEL”) requirements to provide up to 80 hours of paid leave and benefits for employees related to COVID-19. The ordinance applies to employers with 50 or more employees, and to full and part-time employees who have worked for the employer […]
Via: https://www.vorys.com/publications-2901.html On April 1, 2021, New Mexico became the seventeenth state to legalize adult use or recreational cannabis for those 21 and older. New York just legalized recreational cannabis on March 31 (see our alert on this law here). Cannabis use and possession – whether for recreational or medical use – still remains illegal under […]
BREAKING NEWS: Claiming the employee retention credit in the first and second calendar quarters 2021
IRS issued guidance for employers claiming the employee retention credit under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act modified by the Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2020. Notice 2021-23 explains the changes for the first and second calendar quarters of 2021, including: the increase in the maximum credit amount the expansion of […]