Governor Tim Walz issued a new emergency executive order requiring Minnesotans to wear face masks, effective July 25, 2020 and subject to limited exceptions. The executive order remains in place until expiration of the peacetime emergency. Here is what companies need to know to comply with the order. 1. Face Coverings in the Workplace All businesses must […]
On June 15, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court issued new workplace protections for employees who identify as gay, lesbian, or transgender. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of “sex.” In the decision released on Monday, the Court held that “sex” includes gender identity and sexual orientation, and therefore extended […]
The Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act (“PPPFA”) was signed into law on June 5, 2020 and extends and revises certain deadlines and loan forgiveness terms under the existing Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”), including the following: Percentage of loan proceeds required to be used for payroll costs decreased from 75% to 60%. PPP loan recipients must use […]
Last week, OSHA issued new guidance requiring employer recording of work-related COVID-19 cases. These requirements went into effect on May 26, 2020. While OSHA’s guidance memo acknowledges that it may be difficult for employers to determine whether a COVID-19 illness is “work-related,” the memo still requires employers to make good faith determinations as to whether the virus […]
On May 13, 2020, the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Department of Treasury (Treasury) updated the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) FAQs to address SBA’s review of the good faith certification of borrowers who received PPP loans. Recommended Borrower Good Faith Certification ReviewTreasury and SBA recommend that all borrowers who received PPP loans review the good faith […]
Beginning April 27, 2020, employers in non-critical manufacturing, industrial and office-based businesses may return to work if they complete the requirements of the Executive Order. Who does EO 20-40 apply to? Executive Order 20-40 allows limited return to work for these categories of employers: Importantly, these categories do not include customer-facing retail environments. What is required to […]
The IRS has now provided guidance to employers on claiming tax credit and reimbursement for employer-paid COVID-19 related sick leave and FMLA leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”). Detailed guidance is available here. The FFCRA requires employers to provide paid leave time for some COVID-19 related absences, as described in our previous alerts. Businesses and […]
On March 27, 2020, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”). The CARES Act contains several provisions designed to give individuals affected by COVID-19 greater access to their retirement plan funds and expand health plan coverage and benefits, supplementing changes made by the recent Families First Coronavirus Response Act […]
In this rapidly changing environment, we continue to monitor action at the federal, state, and local levels. Below is an overview of updates from the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) regarding implementation of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”), which requires some employers to provide paid sick leave and partially paid FMLA for certain […]
On March 27, 2020, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”). The CARES Act contains an emergency loan program aimed at helping small businesses pay payroll and other operating costs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Because access to federal loan assistance is critical to decisions regarding your business operations, we […]