On Thursday, January 13, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a stay pausing implementation of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS), finding that the challengers to the...more
1/20/2022
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Employer Mandates ,
OSHA ,
SCOTUS ,
Stays ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
In November 2021, OSHA issued an Emergency Temporary Standard that applied to employers with 100 or more employees (the “ETS”). The ETS required those employers to either adopt a policy requiring their employees to be...more
12/21/2021
/ Compliance ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
New Rules ,
OSHA ,
State and Local Government ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
On Friday, November 12, 2021, in BST Holdings, L.L.C., et. al. vs. Occupational Health and Safety Administration, et. al., Case: 21-60845, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals granted the plaintiffs’ motion to stay...more
11/18/2021
/ Appeals ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Masks ,
Motion To Stay ,
Multidistrict Litigation ,
OSHA ,
State and Local Government ,
Suspensions ,
Temporary Regulations ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing
On September 9, 2021, President Biden issued his Executive Order on Ensuring Adequate COVID Safety Protocols for Federal Contractors (the “Executive Order”) that, when implemented, will require most federal contractors to...more
9/30/2021
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Covered Employer ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Employment Policies ,
Federal Contractors ,
Masks ,
New Guidance ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Small Business ,
Social Distancing ,
Subcontractors ,
Vaccinations ,
Vaccine Passports ,
Virus Testing ,
Web Tracking ,
Workplace Safety
On September 9, 2021, President Biden issued orders that have the intent of requiring employers to mandate that their employees are vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo regular testing and other restrictions. ...more
9/13/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Mandates ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
OSHA ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
Prior to the pandemic, companies allowed remote work sparingly and where necessary because of the location of certain key players in other states or countries. Many employers felt that remote work was not practical, citing...more
On May 13, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) issued new recommendations for individuals who are fully vaccinated. Specifically, the CDC stated that fully-vaccinated individuals[1] can resume...more
5/21/2021
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
GINA ,
Masks ,
Oregon ,
OSHA ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Social Distancing ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
The dust has now settled on the new stimulus bill signed by President Trump on December 27, 2020. The changes to the Family First Coronavirus Recovery Act (“FFCRA”) was buried in over 5000 pages of text and provides a choice...more
12/30/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Family Medical Leave ,
IRS ,
New Legislation ,
Paid Leave ,
Relief Measures ,
Sick Leave ,
State and Local Government ,
Tax Credits ,
Trump Administration
Your business and employees have just experienced an extraordinary year. We have learned new ways of working, embraced new technology, and incorporated many new legal requirements, but most importantly, we have persevered....more
12/21/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
GINA ,
Health and Safety ,
OSHA ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Religious Exemption ,
Title VII ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
On October 21, 2020, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) published a new guidance for use by contact tracers that clarifies what had been a somewhat fuzzy definition of “close contact.” The new definition increases the...more
With the onset of colder weather, the return of students to colleges, and pandemic fatigue, the news is that the next six to twelve weeks could be the worst yet for the pandemic. The number of positive test results is rapidly...more
The House of Representatives passed a broad piece of legislation that requires employers with fewer than 500 employees to provide paid sick leave and paid family medical leave to employees. The bill, entitled the Family First...more