Various media outlets published a draft US Supreme Court opinion overturning Roe v. Wade late on May 2. The Supreme Court confirmed the authenticity of the document on May 3 but cautioned that the opinion was still in process...more
Governor Ron DeSantis signed the Stop WOKE Act (Florida HB7)—which prohibits employers from requiring employees to participate in certain types of diversity, equity, and inclusion training—into law on April 22....more
The Stop WOKE Act prohibits employers from requiring employees to participate in certain types of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training. The bill was recently passed by the Florida House and Senate; Governor Ron...more
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced a new framework on February 25 providing that mask wearing is optional in low- and moderate-risk settings....more
The Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021 passed by voice vote in the US Senate on February 10. The US House of Representatives approved the same measure with bipartisan support on...more
The US Supreme Court issued two decisions on January 13, 2022 in cases challenging the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA’s) Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) on Vaccination and Testing and the Centers for...more
1/17/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSHA ,
SCOTUS ,
Stays ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
On January 7, the US Supreme Court debated a range of complex issues in a pair of oral arguments over challenges to two federal regulations requiring workplace COVID-19 precautions. Although it is unlikely the Court will...more
1/10/2022
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Mandates ,
Federal Contractors ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Oral Argument ,
OSHA ,
SCOTUS ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
A federal judge in Georgia issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting the federal government from enforcing its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal contractors and subcontractors nationwide. This decision follows a November...more
The Fifth Circuit temporarily stayed the Occupational Health and Safety Administration’s Emergency Temporary Standard on COVID-19, placing it in legal limbo. In addition, state governments continue to take actions related to...more
After long anticipation by US companies and their employees, the US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published its 490-page Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) and preamble on COVID-19...more
11/8/2021
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Mandates ,
Federal Contractors ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Interim Final Rules (IFR) ,
OSHA ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently updated its COVID-19 guidance, detailing its view of employer obligations under Title VII when evaluating religious objections to COVID-19 vaccination mandates....more
10/27/2021
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Religious Accommodation ,
Title VII ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
A proposed Arkansas bill that would require employers to offer testing options as an exception to employer COVID-19 vaccine mandates became law on October 13, 2021. Governor Asa Hutchinson refused to sign the law, deeming it...more
The Safer Federal Workforce Task Force issued guidance on September 24 detailing the requirements that covered federal contractors and subcontractors must follow to comply with Executive Order 14042, “Ensuring Adequate COVID...more
President Joseph Biden on September 9 announced his new Path Out of the Pandemic: President Biden’s COVID-19 Action Plan, which describes the president’s six-pronged strategy to fight the pandemic. This sweeping action plan...more
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released updated guidance recommending that fully vaccinated persons in areas with substantial or high rates of COVID-19 transmission resume wearing masks in public...more
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued important updates to its COVID-19 guidance for employers on June 10. To start, the long-awaited COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) is effective...more
6/14/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Essential Workers ,
Health and Safety ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSHA ,
Public Health ,
Workplace Safety
The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released a long-awaited update to its technical assistance guidance on COVID-19 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Rehabilitation Act, and other federal...more
6/1/2021
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Incentive Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
GINA ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Religious Accommodation ,
Title VII ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
Dear Retail Clients and Friends, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its guidance for fully vaccinated individuals on May 13 to state that “fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear a mask or...more
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its guidance for fully vaccinated individuals on May 13 to state that “fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear a mask or physically distance” in most...more