More states are adopting Paid Family and Medical Leave programs, both mandatory and voluntary. The Oregon Family and Medical Leave Program takes effect on New Years Day and requires employers in the Beaver State to withhold and remit contributions to the program beginning as of that date. All employers regardless of the number of employees…
Read More »Back in early September, when California Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1949 into law, the state of California became the third state to mandate bereavement leave for workers. The provisions of AB 1949, effective on January 1, 2023 and applicable when a business employs 5 or more workers, were adopted as an amendment to the…
Read More »No, it’s not another pandemic, but these changes will still cost small business owners. Both Colorado and Oregon have expanded leave obligations for employers in the event of a public health emergency (PHE), which now can include RSV, the flu and other respiratory illnesses. The Colorado Healthy Families and Workplaces Act requires employers to provide…
Read More »With apologies to Charles Dickens, our tale of two states is quite a bit different from the Dickens classic by a somewhat similar name. Earlier this month, the departments of two separate states, Oregon and Washington, jointly announced a new guidance that would govern paid family leave in both Pacific Northwest states. In a joint…
Read More »Maryland became the 10th state in the nation (in addition to the District of Columbia) to enact a paid family and medical leave law when the democratic-led General Assembly overrode a veto of the bill by Governor Larry Hogan earlier this month. The Time to Care Act, as it is called, establishes an insurance program…
Read More »Right in time for President Biden’s State of the Union (SOTU) address this week, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) issued a new guidance recommending that face masks need be worn only by individuals in high-risk areas on the country or by those who may have a high risk of serious infection. The latest CDC…
Read More »As the nation now awaits the final decision by SCOTUS on these vaccine mandates, more states and cities are imposing their own versions of vaccine-or-mask mandates. In fact, just over the past week or two, New York City, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Boston, and Chicago, have all announced new local vaccine mandates for consumers to enter…
Read More »With the calendar turning to July yesterday, we want to be sure our subscribers take note of some of the changes that July brings. The minimum wage in three different states plus the District of Columbia increased as of July 1, 2021. New York isolates fast-food workers in particular and grants them special minimum wages.…
Read More »A quick glance at some of the legislation pending in the current legislative sessions – which have mostly just begun – give us some cause for concern in a number of states. California, of course, has a selection of bills pending that would be largely detrimental to business interests. Perhaps most egregious is a bill…
Read More »With pandemic issues swirling around countless minimum wage ihke proposals, we could almost forget about the need for Fair Franchising Legislation in so many states around the country – but we haven’t forgotten. In fact, the Oregon legislature will hold a public hearing next Wednesday, February 17 – via Zoom, of course – on House…
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