As California began the new year, it was suffering from a six-year drought. Then came le deluge. According to the Governor's office "These storms brought more rain than had been recorded in over 100 years and all in one...more
Last Thursday, the NYC Council convened a Stated meeting, where they passed and introduced multiple pieces of legislation. The Council passed legislation requiring an annual forest plan, helping the City expand its tree...more
Earlier this year, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the State of California's COVID-19 State of Emergency will end on February 28, 2023. Since then, numerous localities have announced the end of their own states of...more
Any one of three bills still advancing through the California Legislature’s 2022 session will have broad consequences for California employers if enacted. The Legislature has until August 31 to pass pending bills and send...more
On March 10, 2020, Governor Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency over COVID-19 in Executive Order No. 116. Less than two months later, the North Carolina General Assembly ratified Senate Bill 704: the COVID-19 Recovery...more
SB 1044 passed the California Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement Committee on Monday, March 21, 2022. SB 1044 would prohibit an employer, in the event of a state of emergency or an emergency condition, from taking...more
The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas recently held that unsolicited text messages that simply inform recipients of the availability of a free COVID-19 vaccine are protected by the “emergency purposes”...more
On November 11, 2021, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves, in coordination with State Health Officer Thomas Dobbs and MEMA Executive Director Stephen McCraney, announced Mississippi’s COVID-19 State of Emergency (“SOE”) would be...more
New York State Executive Orders and Guidance... ...more
In a recently issued guidance, the Massachusetts Department of Revenue indicated that the emergency telecommuting rules it put in place during the Massachusetts COVID-19 state of emergency would cease to be in effect as of...more
Governor DeSantis allowed Executive Order No. 20-51 to expire on April 27, 2021. Permit holders must now notify the responsible agency or local government within 90 days of the termination of the order (no later than...more
Last week, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that the state disaster emergency he declared on March 7, 2020, due to COVID-19 would officially end after June 24, 2021. He then signed Executive Order No. 210, which...more
As of today – June 15, 2021 – the Commonwealth’s State of Emergency related to the COVID-19 pandemic has ended. Although the Cannabis Control Commission (“Commission”) has issued bulletins and administrative orders that...more
Unbelievably, it was March 17, 2020, when Governor Gavin Newsom issued Executive Order N-29-20 (amending Executive Order N-25-20 in part), which allows local or state legislative bodies to hold meetings via teleconference and...more
June 3, 2021 On May 28, 2021, Governor Charlie Baker issued two executive orders lifting many of the COVID-19-related restrictions and limitations imposed over the past 15 months, setting in motion the eventual rescission of...more
Over the last year, the Baltimore City Council has introduced and enacted multiple bills impacting rental housing that residential landlords will need to navigate: - In May 2020, the City Council passed the COVID-19 Rent...more
On May 17, 2021, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker announced that the state of emergency declared on March 10, 2020 will likely end on June 15, 2021. Both state and local permits were extended while the state of emergency...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker announced today that the Commonwealth will end most COVID-19 restrictions by May 29. Some industries, including health care, schools, and the transportation sectors,...more
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis took two bold moves on Monday related to government oversight of COVID-19 emergency standards while declaring “we are no longer in a state of emergency.” The first, an extension of Executive...more
As the trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold, government officials at all levels are reevaluating their health and safety protocols and adjusting workplace guidance based on ever-shifting case metrics. While...more
On March 30, 2021, the authority for Michigan public bodies to hold electronic "virtual" meetings for any reason under the Michigan Open Meetings Act ("OMA") expired. Thus, starting on March 31, 2021, and continuing until...more
This is a follow-up to our previous client alerts regarding potential extensions of permits and development orders based on the gubernatorial COVID-19 state of emergency. On February 26, 2021, Governor DeSantis issued...more
The public, at least in the Gulf South, is used to hearing terms such as “executive order” and “state of emergency.” Yet what do those terms mean, where do they come from and why do they matter? As the COVID-19 pandemic...more
The 60-day Regular Session of the West Virginia Legislature convened on February 10, 2021 and, after 12 days that included a rare Saturday session on February 13, 2021, both chambers have advanced significant legislation...more
The 60-day Regular Session of the West Virginia Legislature convened on February 10, 2021 and, after a short week, has already advanced significant legislation addressing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as certain...more