Last week we notified you about the new Massachusetts COVID sick leave law that we believed took effect on June 7 based on the text of the bill that was available on the state legislature’s website. At that time, the state [...]
Starting June 7, employers are required to provide paid COVID-19 sick leave to employees who can’t work because of COVID. COVID sick leave is in addition to other leaves the employer provides, whether required by law or provided as part of [...]
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration once again is extending temporary hours-of-service exemptions and other “regulatory relief” for commercial motor vehicle drivers transporting items intended to assist with COVID-19 pandemic relief efforts. Announced May 26, the extension of Emergency Declaration 2020-002, initially [...]
Massachusetts has made several revisions to its “blue laws” that require most employers that are retailers to pay premium pay for work on certain holidays. First, the Commonwealth has designated Juneteenth Independence Day, June 19, as a legal holiday. [...]
Employers that encourage or require workers to get vaccinated against the coronavirus must carefully navigate legal requirements and government recommendations—but the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently gave employers a break by saying they don't have to record [...]
New guidance from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration is causing some to change their COVID-19 vaccine requirements. On April 20, OSHA released the new guidance in the frequently asked questions section of its website for COVID-19 safety compliance. The [...]
Investment advisors who encourage employees to roll over their 401(k) savings into an individual retirement account (IRA) must adhere to the "investor's best interest" fiduciary standard, and do so from the first conversations about rolling over fund assets—if the [...]
On April 7, 2021, the Department of Labor (DOL) published FAQs to further explain this COBRA subsidy and provided models of the required related notices. Notable Points from the FAQs Eligibility Based on Reduction in Hours. The FAQs take an expansive view [...]
As part of the recently enacted American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (“ARP”), certain COBRA eligible individuals are eligible for temporary premium subsidies April 1 to September 30, 2021. These subsidies will cover 100 percent of the premium for [...]
A bill to move the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) application deadline from March 31 to May 31 won approval in the U.S. Senate on Thursday, March 25, 2021. The final vote to approve the PPP Extension Act of 2021, H.R. [...]
