On February 10, 2023, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court issued four separate but related opinions denying property tax exemptions for four hospitals that had been purchased by the Tower Health system....more
On October 6, 2021, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health (DPH) announced a series of extensions designed to allow healthcare employers and institutions of higher education to comply with the City’s vaccine mandate....more
On September 9, 2021, President Biden announced a series of federal COVID-19 mitigation efforts, which represent an invigorated national approach to reduce COVID-19 transmission and rapidly increase vaccination rates across...more
On August 13, 2021, Philadelphia’s Department of Public Health (“DPH”) announced an emergency regulation mandating COVID-19 vaccines that will affect healthcare institutions and the City’s colleges and universities. Many of...more
In a long-anticipated move, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) launched a national emphasis program (NEP) on March 12, 2021, which is aimed at protecting workers in high-hazard industries from COVID-19....more
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently released a list of sixteen new recommendations for employers in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic at the request of the newly-installed Biden...more
Responding to calls from Philadelphia’s housing advocates to generate tax revenue for affordable housing, Philadelphia City Council adopted a trio of ordinances on December 2, affecting most new construction projects...more
As landlords and tenants, lawyers and lawmakers alike struggle to contend with the ever-changing patchwork of state and local moratoria on residential evictions, a new sweeping federal policy is poised to redefine the housing...more
Institutions of higher education have undergone vast changes over the last several months from closing down campuses with a few days’ notice to shifting coursework online and transitioning to function as a “Zoom University.”...more
Obtaining public records in a timely fashion from government agencies in Pennsylvania can be an arduous task during ordinary times. Enter a worldwide pandemic that forced most workers, including civil servants, to begin...more
On July 16, 2020, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced a new $50 million grant program to “help employers provide hazard pay to employees in life-sustaining occupations during the COVID-19 pandemic” (the “Grant Program”)....more
The Philadelphia City Council came together recently to enact an unprecedented package of renter protections designed to assist Philadelphia’s renter community weather the COVID-19 storm and help brace the City for an...more
Governor Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania extended the Commonwealth’s moratorium on residential evictions and foreclosures through August 31, 2020. This new development builds upon previous moratoria from the Pennsylvania Supreme...more
Just one week after U.S. Senators introduced the COVID-19 Whistleblower Protection Bill that would prohibit employers from retaliating against workers who may blow the whistle on wrongdoing related to CARES Act relief,...more
As executives and legislatures across the country continue to take varying approaches to soften the economic and public health toll that COVID-19 leaves in its wake, the New York City Council has met the novel COVID-19 virus...more
Jurisdictions Limiting Construction Work - Massachusetts: Construction generally is allowed in Massachusetts for all residential construction and certain “essential” commercial construction, including in the City of Boston,...more
After weeks of confusion and business closure, the Governor of Pennsylvania announced on May 27, 2020 extensive guidelines for businesses in the food service industry, which will allow restaurants and bars within...more
In a lengthy opinion discussing the true value of protecting sixty-one threatened bird species, the elusive denseflower knotweed and the regionally declining southern fox squirrel, a panel of judges sitting on the federal...more
Jurisdictions Limiting Construction Work: Massachusetts: Construction generally is allowed in Massachusetts for all residential construction and certain “essential” commercial construction. However, certain cities and towns...more
This update tracks COVID-19 shutdown orders as of April 29, 2020, 12:00 p.m. EDT that affect construction projects in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York and...more
On April 23, 2020, Governor Wolf issued guidance for the resumption of construction activities, starting on May 1, across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The guidance is binding on all businesses in the construction...more
In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Tom Wolf signed Senate Bill 841 into law on Monday, April 20, 2020, which authorized local governments, including zoning boards and other commissions, to conduct business...more
Unlicensed contractors in Georgia recently were dealt a blow by the state's Court of Appeals when three judges held that a contractor's failure to possess a valid state contractor's license precluded the contractor from...more
At the final sessions of the year, Philadelphia City Council passed three ordinances affecting real estate development in the City....more