Seyfarth Synopsis: On Saturday, October 9, 2021 Governor Newsom signed the last of 2021’s pending employment-related bills, including a bill imposing even more restrictions on settlement agreements. The new laws will become...more
Will-They-Won’t-They Saga Continues: As we noted, about two weeks ago, more centrist democrats in the House pushed the speaker into a promise to hold a vote on the bi-partisan infrastructure bill passed by the Senate on...more
10/4/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Broadband ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Infrastructure ,
NLRB ,
OCR ,
Telecommunications
Seyfarth Synopsis: On Monday, September 27, Governor Newsom signed a number of employment-related bills, including bills aimed at combatting wage theft and wage/hour violations by garment manufacturers, all of which go into...more
A lot of relevant policy matters have happened over the past two weeks. We have seen significant progress on the dual-track infrastructure plan; this year’s legislative session in California came to a close, bringing heftier...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: While the second half of the 2020-21 legislative session saw comparatively fewer employment-related bills than in previous years, those that made it to Governor Newsom’s desk carry some hefty obligations....more
House Leadership Holds The Line On Dual-Track Infrastructure Bill(s) Strategy. Earlier this week, media concerns abounded that moderate house democrats might throw an immovable wrench in the serious progress with the...more
One Small Step For Infrastructure: Senate Passes Bipartisan Package, But The Next Leaps Will Be Laborious. Finally, after months of inter- and intra-party wrangling, the Senate voted 69-30 — including a notable aye vote from...more
The Senate, Finally, Takes A Baby Vote On The Bipartisan Infrastructure Proposal. On Wednesday, the Senate voted 67-32 to advance the proposal, with 17 Republicans joining all Democrats to begin legislative action. The vote...more
A Summer of Freedom: Happy 4th From Us Here At The PMN. While the White House has acknowledged that the nation will not meet President Biden’s ambitious July 4th vaccination goal, it would be hard to argue the nation as a...more
President Biden Is Back From Overseas, And His Budget is Out. The White House has released the President’s 2022 budget proposal, which incorporates some of the legislative proposals made by President Biden over the past few...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: While the Buggles took creative liberties when they claimed that Video Killed The Radio Star, the House of Origin deadline axed a number of employment-related bills. California legislators began this...more
A Bipartisan Deal On Infrastructure Remains Out Of Grasp. Last week, the GOP offered a counter proposal to Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan, topping out at – so close – almost $1 Trillion. However, the GOP offer only included...more
The Great Loosening: Easing of Coronavirus Restrictions Across The Union. Since Joe Biden’s election, this space has discussed the great expansion of the Paycheck Protection Program, as well as the great undoing of a number...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Proposed California legislation, SB 62, would hold certain garment retailers known as “brand guarantors” (i.e. those that license their brand or name for manufacturing) responsible for labor violations...more
Is That Infrastructure? Biden Plans To Retrofit Not Just Roads And Bridges. Astute readers of this newsletter have almost assuredly heard the phrase “that’s infrastructure” mentioned by Biden administration officials as they...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: In a surprise move, and despite vetoing a strikingly similar measure only months ago when the pandemic was closer to its zenith, Governor Newsom on April 16, 2021 signed a measure requiring hospitality...more
Ruling From Parliamentarian Gives Democrats an Extra Shot at Reconciliation. At the onset of the Biden Presidency, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer sat for an interview with NBC News in which he telegraphed a so-called...more
Education and Labor Subcommittee Hearing on Important Employment Legislation. As we noted here, on Thursday, March 18th the Civil Rights and Human Services Subcommittee on Workforce Protections held a hearing entitled...more
What Timing: Biden Signed $1.9 Trillion Coronavirus Relief Package. We here at the PMN have been following intently every development when it comes to the federal government’s legislative response to the virus. Indeed, since...more
3/17/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Eviction ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Moratorium ,
OSHA ,
Relief Measures ,
Tax Credits ,
Vaccinations
Seyfarth Synopsis: Headlining the number of employment-related bills California legislators introduced by the February 19th deadline are those that would extend COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave and provide other leaves...more
3/8/2021
/ ABC Test ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Independent Contractors ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Paid Leave ,
Settlement Agreements ,
Sick Leave ,
Telecommuting ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wage Theft
The Parliamentarian Has Spoken: Minimum Wage Can’t Be Raised Through Reconciliation. At this point, readers of this newsletter are assuredly aware of the substantive contours and the procedural hurdles Joe Biden’s COVID-19...more
The Fight For $1.9: Administration Remains Committed To Passing COVID-19 Legislation, Even Without Republican Backing. Unlike previous updates on the “will they won’t they” back-and-forth of COVID-19 / Stimulus Legislation...more
Seyfarth Synopsis. Democrats in the U.S. House and Senate have reintroduced a bill to increase the federal minimum wage to $15 for virtually all non-exempt workers. While the “Fight For Fifteen” has made several trips to...more
This Space – For Now – Will Continue To Summarize Congress’ COVID-19 Stimulus Attempts. To that end, before he was sworn in by the Chief Justice, President Biden released the contours of a $1.9 Trillion legislative package...more
Before we dive into this week's stimulus-focused update, we here at the PMN are excited to announce the new Policy Matters Podcast. Policy issues often have long term widespread and pervasive impact on businesses. Not only...more