Lewis Roca Blog

Lewis Roca partners Mary Ellen Simonson and Laura Pasqualone joined Steve Hirschfeld on the ”Employment Matters” podcast for Employment Law Alliance. In this episode for the Travel Tuesdays series, they explored the essential things to know before doing business in the state of Arizona. 

A Colorado law will take effect in August 2022 that substantially changes what is permissible for non-compete and non-solicitation employment agreements.

On November 4, 2021, the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) on Covid-19 Vaccination and Testing.

On Friday, July 9th, the White House issued an Executive Order on ‘Promoting Competition in the American Economy’. The Executive Order directs over a dozen federal agencies to undertake 72 initiatives that address “…some of the most pressing competition problems across our economy…”.

After much haggling, Congress passed its second major COVID-related relief package on December 21, 2020. The $900 billion package is included in the 5,593-page Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, which is expected to be signed by President Trump shortly and will provide funding for the federal government between now and the end of the current fiscal year on September 30, 2021.

On December 16, 2020, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued new guidance to employers that want to require employees to get Covid-19 vaccinations when they become available to most Americans. The guidance also outlines the steps that employers must take before they can exclude unvaccinated employees from their facilities and job sites.

Labor and Employment attorney Laura Pasqualone discussed on the Employment Legal Alliance podcast the potential legal issues employers may face once a COVID-19 vaccine is available to the public.

BOK Financial Insurance hosted a webinar on Thursday, September 10 with industry experts who provided insights and recommendations on navigating the increased presence of teleworking as well as considerations when preparing your workplace for employees to return to the office.

HR can be especially challenging for smaller employers with limited resources and can be even more challenging for business during the COVID-19 rebuilding period. In these difficult times, it is important to be prepared for the new normal in the workplace. This webinar slide deck aims to discuss some of the most critical areas you need to be aware of to avoid HR-related fines, lawsuits, or penalties.

On July 8, 2020, the United States Supreme Court released two decisions with important implications for the rights of religious employers.

The United States Supreme Court issued a landmark decision on June 15, 2020, ruling that Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act protects employees from discrimination based on their sexual orientation and gender identity. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Neil Gorsuch sided with the Court’s more liberal members in finding that Title VII’s ban on discrimination “because of sex” covers sexual orientation and gender identity.

On June 11, 2020, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued new guidance that addresses numerous pandemic-related topics. 

On June 5, 2020, President Trump signed into law the latest COVID-19 relief-related legislation: the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act (the “Act”). As stated in the title of the Act, the purpose of this legislation is to provide the recipients of PPP loans greater flexibility in the use of loan funds, while maintaining eligibility for loan forgiveness.

Following Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak’s March 17, 2020 directive to close all non-essential businesses, Nevada gaming establishments ceased operations and sent all employees home. This article seeks to provide Nevada gaming establishments with several topics to consider when crafting policies and protocols for bringing employees back into the workplace during the ongoing pandemic.

On April 17, 2020, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission published additional guidance for employers regarding the issues they are facing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest advice focuses on the reasonable accommodation requirement of the Americans with Disabilities Act (the “ADA”).

The CARES Act allows a 401(k) plan to provide a coronavirus-related distribution option (CVR Distribution) to plan participants affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, a plan participant who is a Qualified Individual can elect one or more CVR Distributions totaling no more than $100,000 during the period beginning January 1, 2020 and ending December 30, 2020.

On April 2, 2020 in the late afternoon, the Small Business Administration issued an interim final rule (Docket No. SBA-2020-0015, the “Rules”) for the administration of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) created under Section 1102 of the CARES Act.

Congress Passes the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act

Watch the webinar now to review the details of the new stimulus package that was signed into law Friday, March 27, 2020.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”) was passed by Congress and signed by the President on March 27, 2020. This stimulus package is more than double the amount provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that was passed during the Great Recession. The 880-page bill includes substantial aid for both employed and unemployed Americans, the public health system, and employers of all sizes, including nonprofit organizations.

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) was signed by President Trump on March 18, 2020, and it becomes effective on April 1, 2020. The FFCRA contains provisions for emergency paid sick leave and expanded family leave that are available for some employees affected by COVID-19.

In an effort to keep you apprised of the rapid developments surrounding COVID-19, we wanted to share with you further guidance on the Families First Coronavirus Response Act from the U.S. Department of Labor.  As always, please let us know how we can help you.

The outbreak of the respiratory disease (COVID-19) caused by the new coronavirus continues to present many issues for employers. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expects the disease to continue to spread throughout the country for the next several months. Meanwhile, Congress has passed new federal legislation that provides relief for some employees affected by COVID-19.