Soon, most of Pennsylvania will be in the Green Phase of the Governor’s Plan for COVID-19 reopening.  If you are like me, you might be confused about exactly what the Green Phase allows. It is not a complete return to the good old days of 2019 before we ever heard the words “novel coronavirus.”  There are still restrictions on businesses, gyms, restaurants and public gatherings.  Here is a reminder of what these Green Phase restrictions…

COVID-19-related laws and regulations continue to remain a moving target.  The President signed into law the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act (the “Act”) on June 5, 2020, and we posted the highlights on June 9, 2020.  A mere ten days after the passage of that Act, things have already changed, largely due to the U.S. Treasury issuing regulations on June 11th. Here is a summary of some of the Paycheck Protection Program changes as of…

The popular Paycheck Protection Program (the “PPP”) created by the CARES Act is coming to an end.  Time is running out to take advantage of this program. The upcoming deadline to apply for a PPP loan is June 30, 2020. However, many banks are requiring applicants to submit their application prior to the June 30th deadline. Citizens Bank is requiring applications for the PPP to be submitted by 4 p.m. on June 17th. Bank of …

This post is part of our ongoing series translating the lawyer-gibberish of Pennsylvania lawsuits into something understandable. For the definitions of the terms in bold, check out the post that launched this series. A list of the posts in the series is also at the end of this article. So, we’ve made it to the final countdown: trial. It’s time for winners (and losers) to be decided. Only a small fraction of cases make…

More small business relief has arrived! On Monday, June 8, 2020, Governor Wolf announced additional relief for small businesses in Pennsylvania.  The relief funding consists of $225 million of the $4 billion provided to the Commonwealth through the CARES Act. In addition, the Lancaster County Small Business Recovery and Sustainability Fund is also launching grants to local businesses. State Relief The state relief from Governor Wolf will not consist of loans; instead, the fund will…

On June 3, 2020, the U.S. Senate passed H.R. 7010, the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020 (the “Act”).  President Trump then signed it into law 2 days later.  The Act makes significant changes and updates to the Paycheck Protection Program (the “PPP”). Such changes include, but are not limited to: Increased Time to Use Funds: The Act has modified the time allowed by borrowers to use PPP loan funds from eight weeks to…

With the entire state in at least the Yellow Phase of reopening as of this Friday, bars, restaurants, breweries, distilleries, and others in the food and beverage services are gearing up to reopen for dine-in services in some capacity. You must plan carefully before June 5th to maximize your outdoor seating, offer dine-in services safely and have guest experiences that are positive. Yellow Phase In the Yellow Phase, outdoor dining, subject to occupancy restrictions below,…