On Tuesday, August 20th, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas issued a nationwide injunction barring enforcement of the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) ban on non-compete agreements in employment...more
WHAT HAPPENED: On Tuesday, April 23, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued the Non-Compete Clause Rule (the “final rule” or the “rule”), which effectively bans the use and enforcement of non-compete agreements with...more
On January 5, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC or Commission) released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that seeks to ban employers from imposing or enforcing non-compete clauses on workers. The FTC’s proposed...more
WHAT: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed, but narrowed, a nationwide injunction issued in December 2021 against the enforcement of COVID-19 vaccination requirements for federal contractors’ employees...more
What: On January 13, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS), which required businesses with at least 100 employees to ensure their...more
1/14/2022
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Mandates ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Contractors ,
General Duty Clause ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Joe Biden ,
OSH Act ,
OSHA ,
SCOTUS ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
WHAT: On December 17, 2021, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit dissolved the stay of the Occupational Health and Safety Administration’s Emergency Temporary Standard (OSHA and the ETS) previously ordered...more
12/21/2021
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Mandates ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Contractors ,
Good Faith ,
Immunization Records ,
OSH Act ,
OSHA ,
SCOTUS ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Whistleblowers
WHAT: On December 7, 2021, a Georgia federal court issued a nationwide preliminary injunction against the “vaccine mandate” for federal contractors (the central obligation under President Biden’s Executive Order [EO] 14042)....more
12/8/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
DFARS ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Employees ,
Injunctions ,
Joe Biden ,
OMB ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing
What: On November 30, 2021, a federal judge in Kentucky granted a preliminary injunction against the “vaccine mandate” for federal contractors (the central obligation under President Biden’s Executive Order 14042) as it...more
What: On November 18, 2021, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed Florida HB 1B/SB 2B into law. The law, which took effect immediately, temporarily invalidates all employer policies mandating vaccinations against COVID-19 and...more
What: On November 6, 2021, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued an Order temporarily staying the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS), which directed...more
11/8/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Health and Safety ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSHA ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
What: On November 4, 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued its much-anticipated Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS), which requires businesses with 100 or more employees to ensure that their...more
11/8/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Health and Safety ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSHA ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
WHAT: On November 1, 2021, the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force further updated its frequently asked questions to address several issues concerning the scope of Executive Order (EO) 14042 and the timelines for covered...more
11/2/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Employees ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
OSHA ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
WHAT: On October 21, 2021, the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force posted new Q-and-A guidance relevant to contractors covered by Executive Order (EO) 14042, Ensuring Adequate COVID Safety Protocols for Federal Contractors....more
WHAT: The Delta variant of the Coronavirus continues to spread, and District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser continues to be active in taking steps to limit the spread of COVID-19 in the District. On August 10, 2021, Mayor...more
WHAT: Continued concern about the spread of the Delta variant of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) spurred action by President Biden and District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser that will likely affect the operations of federal...more
WHAT: On Friday, July 9, 2021, President Biden delivered remarks strongly condemning the use of non-compete agreements before signing an Executive Order titled “Promoting Competition in the American Economy” (the “Order”)....more
Since the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) rollout in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, lenders have approved more than 9.8 million loans, totaling more than $762 billion, to...more
WHAT: Virginia enhanced legal protections for workers in the Commonwealth with several laws that took effect on July 1, 2021. Virginia Overtime Wage Act - Governor Ralph Northam signed the Virginia Overtime Wage Act, Va....more
7/2/2021
/ Disabilities ,
Employees ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Governor Northam ,
Marijuana ,
Military Service Members ,
Over-Time ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
State Labor Laws ,
Veterans ,
Virginia ,
Wage and Hour
Government contractors compete in a market that depends on proprietary approaches that frequently involve unique experience, expertise, or key employees. Because the stakes are so high and the competition fierce, government...more
Within 24-hours of taking office, President Biden issued several Executive Orders (E.O.) impacting employers and rolling back his predecessor’s policies, including a sweeping order implementing the U.S. Supreme Court’s...more
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser signed the Ban on Non-Compete Agreements Amendment Act of 2020 (the Act) into law on January 11, 2021. Mayor Bowser’s decision means that the Act will become law if it survives the mandatory 30-day...more
This month marked yet another milestone in the COVID-19 pandemic – but one more positive than the milestones that have come before it. On December 15, the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were administered to health care...more