Employee Benefits/ERISA

On March 11, 2021, President Joseph Biden signed The American Rescue Plan Act, which provides $1.9 trillion in funds for individuals and businesses in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. For employers, here are the key provisions to be aware of:

FFCRA tax credit extension

Since January 2021, employers subject to the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) have not been required to provide FFCRA leave to employees; however, employers who opt to voluntarily provide FFCRA leave to employees can obtain tax credits to offset certain costs associated with providing the leave. The American Rescue Plan Act does not reinstate the mandate to provide leave or require employers to provide any additional leave, but extends the tax credits for qualifying family leave and sick leave wages that an employer voluntarily pays between April 1, 2021 and Sept. 30, 2021. The measure provides a new yearly allotment of up to 80 hours per employee of qualifying paid sick leave available for 2021 tax credits. Again, this does not obligate an employer to provide additional leave, but allows employers to offer a new bucket of leave to employees if they so choose.
Continue Reading The American Rescue Plan Act: What employers need to know

Employers generally must withhold income taxes on behalf of employees based on where the employee works. Typically this determination is simplified by the location of the employer’s offices. The COVID-19 pandemic and corresponding stay-at-home orders have altered the working situations for most Americans. Only time will tell what things will look like moving forward. Employers

On March 24, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) released a Q&A page to resolve some of the most pressing questions regarding emergency Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave and paid sick leave offered under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) and its application to employers. Additionally, the DOL released the required poster regarding the Act which an employer must maintain in its workplace.

While the public awaits the DOL’s final regulations interpreting the FFCRA, the DOL’s Q&A provides some guidance as to where DOL enforcement of the FFCRA is heading ahead of the act’s effective date of April 1, 2020.Continue Reading Department of Labor releases Q&A regarding Families First Coronavirus Response Act and mandatory posters

There have been a number of helpful blogs over the past few days from our colleagues at Porter Wright aimed at helping businesses navigate the COVID-19 outbreak.

Navigating Employment Issues in the Wake of COVID-19 webinar

We have all felt the tremendous impacts to our workplaces and daily lives following the COVID-19 outbreak We’ve also

The U.S. Senate passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”), and shortly after, President Donald Trump signed it into law. The Act will take effect no later than 15 days after its enactment. It will remain in effect until it expires under a sunset provision on December 31, 2020. This final version of the bill has some key differences from the one passed earlier in the U.S. House. But like the House bill, the final legislation does not apply to employers of 500 or more.

The FFCRA provides for expanded, paid FMLA as well as paid leave. Here are several key provisions that will have a significant impact on covered employers.Continue Reading President Trump signs HR 6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, providing relief to some American workers

Pittsburgh’s Paid Sick Days Act (PSDA) goes into effect on March 15, 2020, just as the number of coronavirus/COVID-19 infections has begun to increase in the U.S. The new law mandates a number of requirements for employers operating in the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The following are some of the highlights of the law about which employers should be aware:
Continue Reading New Pittsburgh Paid Sick Days Act set to take effect in middle of coronavirus outbreak

In February, we reported that the Department of Labor (DOL) issued a proposed rule that could make it easier for small businesses to join together to purchase health insurance. That proposed rule sparked considerable debate on the general merits of association health plans (AHPs), as well as on the nuances of the proposed rule. Some commentators and experts remained skeptical of such arrangements, citing to the history of AHPs being used as a vehicle for fraud. Others were clearly in favor of any rule that might provide small employers with a new avenue to provide health coverage to their employees. And still others were cautiously optimistic, reserving judgment until some of the open issues in the regulations were resolved.

Well, the debate can now begin in earnest, as the DOL has issued the final regulations.
Continue Reading Final association health plan regulations provide opportunity for small employers…maybe

2016 has arrived, marking the beginning of a year of political transition. While we cannot be certain what the upcoming Presidential election holds for 2017, we can expect to see at least seven employment law trends as we move through this year.

1. Increase in Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) initiatives and enforcement

The Department

The United States Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges  requiring that all states recognize same-sex marriages is one of the more significant constitutional law decisions from the Court in many years. The impact of the decision extends in some ways to the workplace and to the day-to-day responsibilities of human resource and benefits professionals.