For many employers, a new year is a new opportunity to update policies, procedures, and agreements—including restrictive covenants. In addition to ensuring compliance with applicable state requirements as to timing,...more
On January 10, 2023, the Illinois legislature passed the Paid Leave for All Workers (PLFAW) Act, making Illinois just the third state in the country (after Maine and Nevada) to require private employers to provide earned paid...more
On January 5, 2023, nearly eighteen months after President Biden signed an executive order directing the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) chair to “consider working with the rest of the Commission to exercise the FTC’s...more
On August 11, 2022, the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its guidance in light of the “high levels of vaccine- and infection-induced immunity and the availability of effective treatments...more
At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) took the position that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standard for conducting medical examinations (job-related and...more
On November 15, 2021, the city of Des Moines, Iowa, passed a “ban-the-box” law that will limit employer inquiries and background checks into an applicant’s criminal history until after a conditional offer of employment....more
As COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations fall and certain states and localities drop mask mandates, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its mask guidance on February 25, 2022, dropping public...more
On January 7, 2022, the Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) filed peremptory rules adopting the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS)....more
1/13/2022
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Covered Employer ,
Employer Mandates ,
Masks ,
OSHA ,
Public Employers ,
State Labor Departments ,
Temporary Regulations ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
On January 4, 2022, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided additional guidance in the wake of its December 27, 2021, update to recommended quarantine and isolation periods.
The CDC now...more
On December 23, 2021, Cook County, Illinois, issued Public Health Order No. 2021-11, joining the City of Chicago in requiring certain indoor establishments (including restaurants, gyms and fitness centers, and entertainment...more
12/31/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Mandates ,
Enforcement ,
Enforcement Authority ,
Entertainment Venues ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Local Ordinance ,
Masks ,
OSHA ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Public Safety ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Temporary Regulations ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing
On December 27, 2021, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its recommendation for lengths of quarantine and isolation in light of what is currently known about COVID-19 and the Omicron variant....more
12/29/2021
/ Cal-OSHA ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employment Policies ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Guidance ,
OSHA ,
Public Health ,
Quarantine ,
Temporary Regulations ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
On December 21, 2021, the City of Chicago issued Public Health Order 2021-2, which requires certain indoor establishments (including restaurants, gyms, and entertainment venues) to verify the COVID-19 vaccination status of...more
On July 9, 2021, President Biden issued an executive order aimed at promoting competition in the economy, including directing the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to consider exercising its rulemaking authority “to curtail the...more
On October 29, 2021, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed House File 902 into law, a measure that requires Iowa employers with mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policies to waive their requirements for employees who seek vaccination...more
11/2/2021
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Governor Reynolds ,
New Legislation ,
OSHA ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Religious Accommodation ,
Temporary Regulations ,
Termination ,
Unemployment Benefits ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing
On October 11, 2021, Governor Greg Abbott issued Executive Order (EO) No. GA-40, prohibiting any entity in Texas from requiring any individual, including an employee, to receive a COVID-19 vaccination if that individual...more
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an explosion of remote work, including for positions traditionally not considered eligible for remote work. As employers have returned employees to office work environments, some employees who...more
Since it was passed in 1998, Iowa’s Drug-Free Workplaces Act has been one of the most comprehensive and complex drug-testing statutes in the United States. On June 25, 2021, the Iowa Supreme Court issued a pair of decisions -...more
On August 13, 2021, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed into law Senate Bill (SB) 672, an amendment to the Illinois Freedom to Work Act. While the law codifies substantive Illinois common law on restrictive covenants, it...more
As the delta variant (B.1.617.2, which is one of the genetic variants of SARS-CoV-2) fuels a substantial rise in COVID-19 cases in unvaccinated individuals, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated...more
On July 9, 2021, President Biden signed a sweeping executive order aimed at promoting competition in the economy. The order includes 72 initiatives that President Biden says will address pressing competition problems and...more
In the wake of an increased focus on racial justice in the summer of 2020, many employers began to recognize and observe Juneteenth as a way to demonstrate their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)...more
On April 2, 2021, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced updated guidance on domestic and international travel. The guidance includes new recommendations for those fully vaccinated (defined as two...more
On February 25, 2021, Wisconsin joined Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, and Wyoming in...more
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a transformation of the workplace and an explosion of remote work, including for employees previously not covered under employers’ telecommuting policies. Despite the reopening of most state...more
On July 30, 2020, Wisconsin joined 31 other states - including Alabama, California, and Pennsylvania - with a statewide face covering order. Governor Tony Evers issued Emergency Order #1, requiring all individuals in...more