Nota Bene Episode 82: How Congress is Meeting the Pandemic: Stimulus, Relief, and Recovery with Elizabeth Frazee and Jonathan Meyer
Employment Law Now IV-67- Today's U.S. DOL Phone Briefing re: Federal Coronavirus Initiatives
Joe Says “No.” Over the last several weeks, the Buzz has discussed congressional efforts to pass both a bipartisan “hard” infrastructure bill (this passed the U.S. Senate and is waiting in the U.S. House of Representatives),...more
What to Watch This Week - - Infrastructure Amendment Process. With the bipartisan infrastructure package—the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act—now finalized, the Senate has proceeded to an open amendment process, which...more
Most attention about whether the Biden administration would attempt to adopt a version of California’s notorious “ABC test” for determining whether individuals are properly classified as employees or independent contractors...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
On March 22, 2021, former two-term Boston Mayor Marty Walsh was confirmed as U.S. Secretary of Labor in a 68-29 Senate vote. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce (Chamber) supported Walsh’s nomination as Secretary of Labor due in...more
US President Joe Biden signed into law the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA, the Act) on March 11, 2021. ARPA follows from weeks of negotiations in Congress and attempts to facilitate the country’s...more
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA, 2021) was signed by President Biden on March 11, 2021 to address the continuing economic impact on employers and employees the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has posed. The ARPA...more
On March 10, 2021, Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (“Rescue Plan”), a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package intended to provide continued economic relief to individuals, businesses, and state and local...more
Upon taking office, President Joe Biden, through an executive order, instructed the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to review prior guidance on the availability of an individual to receive unemployment benefits if the...more
On March 6, 2021, the U.S. Senate passed its version of President Biden’s “American Rescue Plan” by a vote of 50-49 (Vice President Kamala Harris was prepared to cast a tie-breaking vote in favor of the bill). All Senate...more
President Biden wants to “help ensure unemployed Americans no longer have to choose between paying the bills and keeping themselves and their families safe from COVID-19.” Specifically, he has instructed the U.S. Department...more
In week six, the Administration’s labor and employment activity includes a major roadblock to the $15 federal minimum wage increase, an extension of unemployment benefits by the DOL, and unexpected silence by the...more
In week four, the Administration’s labor and employment activity includes further reversal of Trump era initiatives at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), including a move to protect “Scabby the Rat”, the nomination of...more
President Joe Biden announced his plan for a new COVID-19 relief package on January 20, 2021 - the day he took office. He, along with Democrat leadership, attempted to gain bipartisan support for the legislation, but...more
As Democrats in Congress move toward using budget reconciliation to advance a nearly $2 trillion COVID-19 response bill, a group of 10 Republican senators are pushing a more targeted and limited proposal that weighs in at...more
In his first days in office, President Joseph R. Biden Jr. issued a flurry of executive orders. Notably, President Biden instructed the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to issue new instructions to state unemployment agencies...more
President-elect Biden has unveiled an ambitious legislative package that would serve to not only provide a third wave of economic stimulus relief to address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic but also transform the American...more
In November 2020, Littler’s Workplace Policy Institute (WPI) published its Election Report, a deep dive into the myriad labor and employment policy questions potentially in play depending on the outcome of the election. The...more
In Washington: The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) vaccine advisory panel voted to recommend that the FDA authorize the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for emergency use. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)...more
In Washington: The House passed a one-week funding extension (HR 8900) to give lawmakers more time to finalize a fiscal 2021 spending package and coronavirus relief. The vote was 343-67. The measure (HR 8900) now goes to...more