For over 240 years, Congress has allowed citizens of different states to litigate in federal court and, for equally as long, has permitted defendants to remove such cases from state court to federal court in cases exceeding the jurisdictional minimum. Judiciary Act of 1789, 1 Stat. 79 Section 12 ...
On April 6, 2020, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) promulgated a temporary rule (“Rule”) interpreting and giving further guidance on the Families First Coronavirus Relief Act (“FFCRA”). The FFCRA includes the Emergency Family Medical Leave Expansion Act (“EFMLA”) and the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (“EPSL”). The Rule clarifies a number of important threshold questions in the wake of the FFCRA’s enactment ...
When COVID-19 first hit, many employers were initially faced with the need to identify if they qualified as an essential business under the operative orders issued by the federal and state governments, and then come into compliance with safety measures, all while ensuring compliance with other requirements such as those laid out by the Americans with Disabilities Act ...
On April 8, 2020, the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) provided additional guidance on the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) through an update to the Frequently Asked Questions document (“FAQs”) originally published on April 2, 2020 and subsequently updated on April 6th and 7th ...
We have previously reported on the Order that adopted the extraordinary measures under the COVID-19 health emergency declaration, published on March 31, 2020 (the “Order”), and the subsequent Technical Guidelines regarding certain essential activities described in the Order published on April 6, 2020. (These alerts may be found here and here, respectively ...
On 30 March 2020, the Ukrainian Parliament adopted the Law "On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts Aimed to Ensure Additional Social and Economic Guarantees Due to the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-2019) Spread" (the Law), which introduces to the Ukrainian legislative environment new complex rules aimed at minimizing the negative impact of the spread of the COVID-19 in Ukraine. The below summary focuses on key changes introduced by the Law ...
On April 6, 2020, the new law on employment protection (hereinafter, the "Law") entered into effect, within the context of a series of emergency measures taken by the Chilean authority as a result of the COVID-19 disease.The new Law provides the possibility of accessing the coverage of the unemployment insurance in three main scenarios:I ...
On April 6, 2020, the National Consumer Service (SERNAC) published the "Interpretative Circular on distance contracts during the COVID-19 pandemic", which seeks to set general guidelines regarding distance contracting with consumers during the constitutional state of catastrophe due to public calamity. To safeguard the basic rights embodied in Law No ...
On March 31, 2020, the Subsecretary of Fishing and Aquaculture (“Subpesca”) issued the Exempt Resolution N° 886 (“Res. 886”) which provides the suspension of terms, procedures and other measures, as a consequence of the force majeure event caused by Covid-19. The suspension is effective as of March 18, 2020 and until it is reversed by another act. I. Terms and procedures subject to suspension. According to Res ...
Boards of education should be aware of some upcoming deadlines regarding new WV State Department Policy 3300 and the introduction of the possibility of charter schools in West Virginia. As you may recall, new WV Code Sections 18-5G-1 through 18-5G-12 establish the process by which West Virginia will consider public charter schools. The Code Sections limit the number of new schools to three until July 1, 2023 ...
Physicians and medical professionals throughout the world are facing and attempting to treat one of the most serious and deadly viruses that has affected the world in our lifetime. Medical professionals are on the front lines and in a position, despite their best efforts to protect themselves, to contract the disease. Medical professionals do not only fear for their own lives but also for the lives of their family members if they unintentionally bring this disease home ...
A recent COVID-19 outbreak at a King County, Washington state long-term care skilled nursing facility led to numerous cases and deaths among residents and visitors. Most likely as a result of continued and growing cases of COVID-19 at skilled nursing and long-term care facilities, on April 5, 2020, Cal/OSHA published Interim Guidance for Protecting Workers at Skilled Nursing and Long-term Care Facilities from Exposure to Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) ...
On April 8, 2020, the IRS released Rev. Proc. 2020-23 to allow certain partnerships to take advantage of tax law changes under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, including the immediate expensing of costs related to "qualified improvement property ...
An increasing number of California cities are adopting expanded paid sick leave ordinances – or expanded application of local paid sick leave ordinances – aimed at providing paid sick leave benefits to employees affected by COVID-19 who may not be entitled to benefits under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). These cities include San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Jose ...
As a result of the COVID-19, employers are being forced to reduce the size of their workforces in order to keep costs down for the duration of the pandemic and perhaps beyond. Employers can choose to either furlough employees or lay them off; however, deciding which route is best requires an analysis of the employer’s situation, as well as the needs of the employees ...
According to a news report published by Reuters, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ("EEOC") has stopped sending Right to Sue letters ("RTS") to complainants for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic. An RTS is a statement from the EEOC that it has concluded its investigation into a charge and is generally required for an employee to bring suit for claims of discrimination under Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, or the Age Discrimination in Employment Act ...
With the surge of coronavirus cases across the United States, and in West Virginia, questions arise concerning compensability of work exposures. Are coronavirus claims compensable under West Virginia workers’ compensation law? The answer depends on whether the coronavirus is considered an occupational disease under West Virginia law ...
In coordination with the EU Commission, the federal government has launched numerous support measures and state aid in the form of grants, loans, and guarantees with facilitated conditions in a short period of time. For this purpose, the federal government mainly used already existing funding programs. An explanatory article on the support measures and state aid provided by the federal government can be found here ...
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has issued a series of memoranda that discloses the department’s enforcement priorities and provides public guidance related to the ongoing coronavirus crisis ...
Measures are established for public investment projects that can be financed with resources from the General System of Royalties ...
Provisions for electric power and fuel gas utilities, within the framework of the State of Economic, Social and Ecological Emergency ...
Measures for the public services of aqueduct, sewerage and sanitation are dictated within the framework of the State of Economic, Social and Ecological Emergency The public services of aqueduct, sewerage and/or sanitation may defer the collection of the fixed charge and unsubsidized consumption to residential users of stratum 1 and 2 for a period of thirty-six (36) months ...
Transitional rules adopted with regards to supply limitation of Resolution CREG 116 of 1998 and withdrawal from market of Resolution CREG 156 of 2011. During the following three months, the supply limitation programs, which imply possible cuts to users, of CREG Resolution 116 of 1998 and other regulations that modify or supplement it, will not be applied ...
On March 27, 2019, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “Act”) was signed by President Trump. The Act provides significant relief for employee benefit plan participants and includes both required and discretionary changes. Plan sponsors should immediately review their benefit plans to ensure that amendments are properly and timely implemented to ensure that their plans continue to operate in accordance with applicable law ...
In March, the Estonian Government decided to implement first steps to help the employers in order to avoid lay-offs and introduced also few other reliefs to support the companies. Below you can find summaries of these measures. Relief measures for employers Compensation of salary The Estonian Government approved the relief measures for the employees subject to salary cut ...
