On the first day of his Presidency, President Joseph R. Biden made two major changes at the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB” or the “Board”.) First, President Biden terminated the current NLRB General Counsel Peter Robb. By way of background, the NLRB General Counsel is the agency’s chief attorney and, among other things, determines the cases the Board will pursue and issues guidance on important labor law issues. Upon taking office, President Biden requested former…

Carmody @ Work

Voluntary FFCRA and Other Worker Benefits Under the Continued Assistance to Unemployed Workers Act

By Stephanie E. Cummings

January 7, 2021

On December 28, 2020, President Trump signed into law a $2.3 trillion dollar Omnibus Spending Bill. The massive Omnibus Spending Bill contains several Acts, including the Continued Assistance to Unemployed Workers Act (“CAUWA”), mainly focusing on the expansion of federal unemployment relief and worker entitlements. One of the highlights of CAUWA is the extension of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”) tax credit for employers through March 2021, without a corresponding extension of the…

Carmody @ Work

COVID-19 Relief

By Mark Williams & Stephanie E. Cummings

December 30, 2020

On Sunday night, President Trump signed into law the $2.3 trillion Omnibus Spending Bill, which includes $900 billion in funding for COVID-19 relief. The massive bill encompasses various Acts including (1) the Continued Assistance to Unemployed Workers Act, (2) the Economic Aid to Hard Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits and Venues Act, (3) the Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Relief Act of 2020, and (4) the No Surprises Act. These Acts are summarized below. The Continued Assistance to…

Carmody @ Work

Carmody Torrance Sandak and Hennessey LLP Hosts Andrea Barton Reeves, CEO of the CT Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Authority, to Address Major Changes Coming in 2021 and 2022

By All Authors

November 30, 2020

On Friday, November 20th, Carmody Torrance Sandak and Hennessey LLP was pleased to host a live discussion on Connecticut’s upcoming paid family and medical leave program with Andrea Barton Reeves, CEO of the Connecticut Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Authority. As the Insurance Authority’s first CEO, Ms. Barton Reeves is responsible for establishing and administering the state’s new paid family and medical leave program, which is being implemented in stages between now and…

Carmody @ Work

Connecticut’s Sexual Harassment Training Deadline Extended to February 9, 2021

By All Authors

November 13, 2020

The CHRO has announced a second extension of the deadline to provide sexual training for all employees, including supervisors and non-supervisors. In September, the CHRO initially announced that the original October 1, 2020 deadline would be extended to January 1, 2021 pursuant to Governor Ned Lamont’s extension of the declaration of public emergency and Executive Order 9A. Now, the training deadline has been similarly extended to February 9, 2021 pursuant to the same extension…

Carmody @ Work

Employee Benefits Cost-of-Living Adjustments for 2021

By Mark Williams & Timothy S. Klimpl

October 28, 2020

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has announced that the amount employees may contribute to their 401(k) and 403(b) plans next year remains at $19,500. The IRS announced this week its inflation adjustments for 2021, including: Overall contribution limit for defined contribution plans increases from $57,000 to $58,000 (but see catch-up contributions below). Catch-up contributions for 401(k) or 403(b) plans for individuals aged 50 or over remains unchanged at $6,500. Total compensation that may be considered…

Carmody @ Work

Updates on Connecticut Travel Advisory and FFCRA Regulations

By All Authors

September 16, 2020

Under Governor Lamont’s Latest Executive Order, Travelers from “Hot Spot” States Exempt from Self-Quarantine if they Meet Certain Testing Requirements Under prior Executive Orders, travelers arriving in Connecticut from “hot spot” states are required to self-quarantine for a period of 14 days from the time of last contact with the hot spot state. Under newly-issued Executive Order No. 9B, an affected traveler is exempt from the self-quarantine requirement if he or she has had (i)…

Carmody @ Work

Connecticut’s Sexual Harassment Training Deadline Extended to January 1, 2021

By All Authors

September 15, 2020

Under the Time’s Up Act, nearly all Connecticut employers are required to provide sexual harassment prevention training for all employees, including supervisors and non-supervisors. The original deadline for complying with the training requirement was October 1, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and in accordance with Executive Order 7DDD, the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (“CHRO”) allowed employers to request a one-time 90-day extension of the deadline, provided the extension was received…

Carmody @ Work

Remote or Not, Electronic Delivery of Retirement Plan Documents is Now Easier Than Ever

By Timothy S. Klimpl

August 27, 2020

Administrators of 401(k) plans and other ERISA-covered retirement plans now have much greater freedom to electronically distribute required plan documents to participants, beneficiaries and other individuals, under final rules recently issued by the U.S. Department of Labor. Whether employers choose to migrate to a new electronic delivery system at this point in time remains to be seen. Effective July 27, 2020, for the first time ever, employers and plan administrators are permitted to set and…

Carmody @ Work

SCOTUS Expands Exemptions to ACA Contraceptive Mandate For Employers With Moral or Religious Oppositions

By Alan H. Bowie, Jr., Nick Zaino & Mark Williams

July 14, 2020

On July 8, 2020, the United States Supreme Court (“SCOTUS”) held in a 7-2 decision that employers may exclude birth control from their health care plans if they have moral or religious oppositions to contraception. This decision upheld the Trump Administration’s November 2018 final rules which provide exceptions to the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) mandate requiring covered employers to provide women with contraceptive coverage with no cost sharing. By way of background, the final rules…

Carmody @ Work

Updates for Employers on Important Workplace Issues

Blog Authors

President Biden Makes Major Changes At The National Labor Relations Board On His First Day In Office

Voluntary FFCRA and Other Worker Benefits Under the Continued Assistance to Unemployed Workers Act

COVID-19 Relief

Carmody Torrance Sandak and Hennessey LLP Hosts Andrea Barton Reeves, CEO of the CT Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Authority, to Address Major Changes Coming in 2021 and 2022

Connecticut’s Sexual Harassment Training Deadline Extended to February 9, 2021

Employee Benefits Cost-of-Living Adjustments for 2021

Updates on Connecticut Travel Advisory and FFCRA Regulations

Connecticut’s Sexual Harassment Training Deadline Extended to January 1, 2021

Remote or Not, Electronic Delivery of Retirement Plan Documents is Now Easier Than Ever

SCOTUS Expands Exemptions to ACA Contraceptive Mandate For Employers With Moral or Religious Oppositions

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