As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, many states now are requiring mandatory testing of residents and employees of skilled nursing and assisted living facilities, including West Virginia, South Carolina, and Florida. Other states, such as Pennsylvania, are proposing legislation requiring mandatory testing. President Trump also has indicated that the federal government may require mandatory testing of all nursing home residents and employees nationwide ...
This is the first in a two part series on 'Returning the Workplace to Safe Operation. Part two will be posted on Tuesday, May 19. Part 1: New occupational health and safety requirements to ensure your workplace is safe from the spread or introduction of COVID-19 Canadian provinces and territories are now beginning the gradual process of reopening the economy in the wake of COVID-19. In B.C., on May 6, 2020, the Provincial Government announced its four phase Restart Plan ...
Join our Bankruptcy and Creditors’ Rights team and special guests Karlene Archer from Karlene Archer Law and Andrea Cobery, Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at U.S. Bank, for a discussion of bankruptcy servicing best practices in the time of the coronavirus. We will offer legal insights and practical guidance related to providing notice of forbearance plans in bankruptcy courts ...
All banks rely upon their critical vendors, including law firms that handle sensitive, complicated, and high-risk matters. And yet vendor oversight of law firms has been awkward for all parties involved – fitting square pegs into round holes. We believe opportunities exist to ameliorate this awkwardness and enhance law firm oversight ...
If there is anything to be learned from the FAA’s distribution of the $10 billion in funds allocated to airports in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, it is that allocating billions of dollars in just a few weeks is more difficult than it sounds. On March 27, 2020, the CARES Act was signed into law as Public Law No. 116-136 ...
Whilst crypto-assets are customarily associated with high volatility, a low-volatility crypto-asset, the so-called “stablecoin”, has emerged recently. Stablecoin initiatives typically aim to create a store of value backing the crypto-asset and means of exchange. In view of the increasing discussion of such initiatives, in particular with global technology firms contemplating the issuance of their own stablecoin (e ...
On May 13, 2020, the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) issued an update to the Frequently Asked Questions document (“FAQs”) relating to its Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”), originally published on April 2, 2020 and updated regularly thereafter, providing additional guidance on the PPP Certification of Necessity Safe Harbor ...
Key Points Cafeteria plans may permit mid-year election changes prospectively, including health and dependent care FSA contributions, to address effects of COVID-19 pandemic. Grace period for health and dependent care FSAs may be extended through 2020, even for plans that allow carryovers. Employers must notify eligible employees of temporary plan changes, and adopt plan amendments by the end of 2021 ...
The Department of Labor (DOL) has issued a "Relief Notice," providing ERISA plan fiduciaries additional time to furnish required notices and disclosures to participants and beneficiaries. For governmental plans that are not subject to ERISA, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will extend similar timeframes otherwise applicable under the Public Health Service Act ...
Key Points: Several key deadlines for employee benefit plan participants are being extended due to the COVID-19 pandemic under guidance issued by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and IRS. The deadline extensions could impose significant administrative burdens on plans and plan sponsors. The Department of Labor (DOL) has issued new guidance extending key deadlines for participants in private sector plans subject to ERISA. For governmental health plans, the U.S ...
This is a brief summary of the most important issues employers should consider before deciding on the restart of the office work, taking the current pandemic into account. When deciding on getting back to office work, a gradual and proportionate approach is highly recommended, and employers should be prepared for a possible second wave of the pandemic as much as possible. Organization of work 1 ...
Today, May 10, Legislative Decree No. 1486 that establishes new provisions, and modifies and/or expands various regulations for the effective execution of investments by public entities has been published ...
On May 11, 2020, the Peruvian Government enacted Legislative Decree No. 1510 (“Legislative Decree”) which delays the entry into force of the new prior merger control regime approved by Urgent Decree Nº 013-2019 (“Urgent Decree”) until March 1, 2021 and the approval of the Urgent Decree’s regulations, originally expected by May, 2020, until November, 2020 ...
Slovak Investment Holding, a.s. (“SIH”) has launched the SIH Anti-Corona Guarantee as a new financial instrument employing European Structural and Investment Funds to help small and medium-sized enterprises (the “SMEs“) in Slovakia to overcome the financial difficulties and liquidity problems caused by the COVID-19 crisis and to help preserve employment and retain jobs ...
Phase 1 of the ‘scaling-down’ process, third tranche of guarantees, extension of ERTE temporary layoffs, potential delay in the application of VAT directives and of DAC6, and measures to support the cultural sector For another week running, Garrigues summarizes the key issues that companies need to be aware of over the coming days ...
This is a briefing on the following issuances as of May 10, 2020 in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic: A. Suspension of Periods to File Applications and Other Documents with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) B. Issuances Supplementing the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases’ (IATF) Omnibus Guidelines on Community Quarantine (Omnibus Guidelines) C ...
As the White House and state and local governments begin to assess business re-opening measures in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, employers are evaluating how to transition employees back to the physical workplace. As a threshold matter, employers must assess applicable state and local governmental orders for restrictions, timing, and guidelines regarding business re-opening, as the lifting of shelter-in-place orders and re-opening measures will vary by region and industry ...
Effective March 27, 2020, the Ohio Legislature passed House Bill 197 as a direct response to Governor Mike DeWine’s executive order earlier that month. How has HB 197 changed Ohio workers’ compensation? Two main ways: permitting public meetings and “tolling” deadlines. PUBLIC MEETINGS Section 12 of HB 197 permits government agencies to convene via video conference through Dec. 1, 2020 (unless the COVID-19 emergency ends prior to that date) ...
Among the many extraordinary measures taken by the federal government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic is the issuance of blanket waivers of certain provisions of the federal self-referral prohibition commonly known as the Stark Law. The waivers loosen significant restrictions on physician financial relationships in an effort to provide health care providers with greater flexibility to meet the challenges of the pandemic ...
Marijuana’s legal status has flummoxed industry observers for more than a decade. Several current proposals could provide clarity at the federal level. And Alabama appeared to be on the brink of implementing a medical marijuana regime just before the COVID-19 pandemic ground the legislative process to a halt ...
A Marijuana Related Business (or MRB), whether a plant-touching operation or a provider of goods and services to a plant-touching operations cannot seek protection from the Bankruptcy Court as Bankruptcy Court is a Federal Court and Cannabis remains illegal at the Federal level ...
In addition to proceeds from the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (“SBA”) Payment Protection Program and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (“CMS”) Accelerated and Advance Payment Program, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (“HHS”) recently deposited $80 billion into health care providers’ bank accounts as part of its Provider Relief Fund ...
Same as most of the states where SARS-CoV-2 crisis emerged, Romania has adopted a quite extensive package of measures meant to sustain the shaken economy pending the cease of the emergency state. In this context, the Romanian Government regulated and is still implementing certain specific measures for easing the economic burden on companies during the state of emergency ...
