Congress last week gave final passage to a government spending bill that authorized – and funded – the government to keep operating through the end of the current fiscal year on September 30, 2022. In the process however, it seemingly killed any hope of replenishing the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) for the foreseeable future. President…
Read More »On Wednesday of this week, the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship sponsored a public hearing on the state of the franchising industry. The hearing, entitled: Small Business Franchising: An Overview of the Industry, SBA’s Role and Legislative Proposals, featured a number of witnesses, primary among whom was Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), the…
Read More »Legislation has been approved by the Hawaiian Senate – and a slightly different version was given preliminary approval in the House – both of which will kick up the minimum wage in the Aloha State to $18/hour over the next few years. Currently, the state minimum is $10.10 per hour, but that will change rather…
Read More »The US Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship will host a hearing on March 16 at 2:30 PM specifically focused on the franchising industry and some of the problems that have beset franchise owners over the years. The hearing, entitled Small Business Franchising: An Overview of the Industry, SBA’s Role and Legislative Proposals, will…
Read More »As expected, President Biden last week signed into law the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021. The law, which went into effect immediately upon the President’s signature, amended the Federal Arbitration Act to prohibit mandatory arbitration in sexual assault and harassment cases, thereby allowing victims to bring their dispute…
Read More »While the federal government hasn’t yet been able to prohibit the use of non-compete clauses in employment arrangements, the trend is growing at the state level with more considering limiting use of the restrictive covenant. Specifically, Iowa and West Virginia – states with republican Governors and legislatures – are both currently in play. The Iowa…
Read More »Many business interests from around the country are applauding bipartisan legislation filed in Congress this week that would restore the Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) retroactive to September 30, 2021. You will recall the ERTC was passed as part of the CARES Act back in 2020 to help businesses retain workers during the shutdowns of…
Read More »Congress has passed legislation invalidating and rendering mandatory arbitration clauses unenforceable in cases relating sexual harassment or sexual assault disputes. With passage, the bill was sent to the White House where President Biden is expected to sign it into law. Once enacted, it will apply to “any dispute or claim that arises or accrues on…
Read More »To set the backdrop, Starbucks baristas have now initiated union organizing activities in over 100 individual stores in the Starbucks network across 26 different states with the vast majority of those already having petitioned the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for union representation elections. The Mesa Arizona union initiative was set to be the next…
Read More »On Monday of this week, the California Assembly passed AB 257, the so-called FAST Act and sent it to the Senate for its approval. Needing 41 votes to pass the Assembly where it died last session, the Fast-Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act, prevailed on a 41-21 vote on the last day before such a “holdover bill”…
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