News & Updates

DOL Guidance Addresses Federal Contractors and FFCRA Leave Pay

Health and Welfare Rate Required Only for Concurrent Leaves The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has issued questions and answers (Q&As) on when federal contractors must include Service Contract Act (SCA), Davis-Bacon Act (DBA) or Executive Order 13706 fringe benefits--or their monetary equivalent--for workers taking leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). According to…

Bob ChurchwellNews & UpdatesAugust 11, 20200Comments

President Trump Orders Payroll Tax Deferment

The Department of Treasury Will Stop Collecting Certain Payroll Taxes Between Sept. 1 and Dec. 31 On Aug. 8, 2020, President Donald J. Trump ordered the U.S. Department of Treasury (the Department) to defer collecting certain payroll taxes from Sept. 1 to Dec. 31, 2020. Because the order is for a deferral, the unpaid taxes…

Bob ChurchwellNews & UpdatesAugust 10, 20200Comments

NY Federal Court Partly Strikes Down FFCRA Leave Regulations

Court Upholds Documentation Requirement and Limits on Intermittent Leave In a case brought by the New York attorney general, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York has vacated portions of regulations issued by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). It is not yet…

Bob ChurchwellNews & UpdatesAugust 4, 20200Comments

Massachusetts Finalizes Amendments to PFML Regulations

Employee Leave Benefits Start Jan. 1, 2021 On July 24, 2020, the Massachusetts Department of Family and Medical Leave published final amendments to regulations issued under the state’s Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) program. The amendments cover a range of subjects, and include changed or new definitions of accrued paid leave, average weekly wage, average…

Bob ChurchwellNews & UpdatesAugust 3, 20200Comments

Remote Verification of Form I-9 Documents Extended to Aug. 19

According to the DHS This Will Be the Final Extension The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced that the exemption for the physical inspection of Form I-9 documents has been extended to Aug. 19, 2020. Physical Inspection Employers must complete and sign Section 2 of Form I-9 within three business days of the employee’s first…

Bob ChurchwellNews & UpdatesJuly 28, 20200Comments

Trump Signs Executive Orders to Lower Drug Prices

Series of Four Executive Orders Issued On July 24, 2020, President Donald Trump issued the following series of executive orders in an effort to lower drug prices: Executive Order on Lowering Prices for Patients by Eliminating Kickbacks to Middlemen: directs federally qualified health centers to pass along massive discounts on insulin and epinephrine received from…