On November 5th, 2021, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued an emergency regulation that assigns US employers a central role in the Biden Administration’s COVID-19 pandemic response. Several...more
11/9/2021
/ Appeals ,
Biden Administration ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Comment Period ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Covered Employer ,
Employer Mandates ,
Motion for Relief ,
OSHA ,
Permanent Injunctions ,
Preemption ,
Public Comment ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Stays ,
Temporary Regulations ,
Tenth Amendment ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing
On October 7, 2021, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Senate Bill 331 (S.B. 331), which prohibits employers from including in settlement agreements or separation agreements certain provisions that bar employees...more
On September 24, pursuant to President Biden’s September 9 Executive Order, the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force published its anticipated guidance regarding the vaccination mandate and COVID-19 safety requirements for...more
10/1/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Certification Requirements ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Covered Employer ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Masks ,
OSHA ,
Safety Precautions ,
Social Distancing ,
Subcontractors ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
In response to one of the worst outbreaks in the COVID-19 pandemic, attributable largely to the highly contagious Delta variant, President Biden on September 9 announced his six-prong Path Out of the Pandemic plan. To...more
9/13/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Contractors ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSHA ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
In the face of criticism for its recently proposed standards about mask wearing and social distancing, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (“Cal/OSHA”) has now announced revised amendments to its...more
On May 28, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released long anticipated guidance regarding mandatory employer vaccination policies. The updated guidance confirms that, at least under federal...more
On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), which subsidizes fully paid post-employment healthcare coverage under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA)...more
5/13/2021
/ American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ,
Biden Administration ,
COBRA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Benefits ,
Health and Welfare Plans ,
Health Insurance ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Legislation ,
Premium Subsidies ,
Relief Measures ,
Tax Credits
As COVID-19 vaccinations become increasingly available to the general public, employers are considering whether to mandate or encourage their workers to get vaccinated. Below we share some common vaccine-related questions we...more
2/10/2021
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
OSHA ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Religious Accommodation ,
Religious Exemption ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
On January 29, 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued updated guidance aimed at helping employers implement COVID-19 Prevention Programs to better identify workplace risks that could lead to...more
2/3/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Executive Orders ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Guidance ,
OSHA ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Safety
On his first day in office, President Biden revoked a controversial executive order enacted in September 2020 by then-President Trump, which prohibited federal contractors from conducting certain types of workplace diversity...more
On December 16, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) updated its COVID-19 guidance to clarify that employers may implement mandatory vaccination polices once a COVID-19 vaccine becomes widely available, but...more
Besides casting votes for federal, state, and local officials, voters throughout the country had the opportunity to change laws directly through ballot referendums on Election Day. Voters endorsed several ballot measures...more
On October 22, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) published a Request for Information (RFI) in the Federal Register seeking information about any workplace diversity...more
10/29/2020
/ Bias ,
Diversity ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Employee Training ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Contractors ,
OFCCP ,
Request For Information ,
Sexual Stereotyping ,
Subcontractors ,
Trump Administration
On September 22, 2020, President Trump issued Executive Order 13950, an Executive Order on Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping (the “Order”), prohibiting federal contractors from conducting workplace diversity or...more
10/7/2020
/ Bias ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Diversity ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Educational Institutions ,
Employee Training ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Contractors ,
OFCCP ,
OMB ,
Race Relations ,
Sexual Stereotyping ,
Title VII ,
Trump Administration
On September 11, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued revised regulations implementing the Family First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) after a New York federal court struck down key provisions of the original...more
On July 6, Massachusetts released new guidance for employers as the state transitioned into Phase III of its reopening plan. Among the safety protocols for businesses including barber shops, fitness centers, and retail...more
On June 18, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued new COVID-19 related guidance to assist businesses deemed “non-essential” as they reopen their workplaces. The...more
In a landmark decision today, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Bostock v. Clayton County Georgia that federal law protects gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender workers from employment discrimination.
In a 6-3 opinion...more
6/16/2020
/ Altitude Express Inc v Zarda ,
Bostock v Clayton County Georgia ,
Civil Rights Act ,
EEOC v RG & GR Harris Funeral Homes ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Gender Identity ,
Hiring & Firing ,
LGBTQ ,
SCOTUS ,
Sex Discrimination ,
Sexual Orientation ,
Sexual Orientation Discrimination ,
Title VII ,
Transgender
On June 11, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) updated its question and answer document What You Should Know About COVID-19 and the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and Other EEO Laws. The latest Guidance,...more
6/16/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Guidance ,
Pregnancy Discrimination ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Rehabilitation Act ,
Workplace Safety
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new guidance on Wednesday describing how office buildings can reopen safely as states ease restrictions on non-essential businesses. The new voluntary...more
On Tuesday May 19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a 60-page document laying out guidelines for reopening the country as states and local governments continue to curb the rate of COVID-19...more
On May 18, 2020, Massachusetts announced a four-phase reopening plan, parts of which took immediate effect. Phase 1 is the “Start” phase, during which “limited industries [may] resume operations with severe restrictions.”...more
In response to the lifting or relaxing of shelter in place orders in a number of states, many businesses plan to resume certain operations during the pendency of the COVID-19 pandemic. The health, safety, and well-being of...more
Overview of the Updated CISA Guidance -
On April 17, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), an agency within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), issued the third version of its nonbinding...more
On Wednesday April 8, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new guidelines making it easier for essential employees to get back to work after exposure to COVID-19. Previously, the CDC recommended that...more