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Please Click HerePosted on August 10, 2020 by Sara J. Ackermann
By now, many of you have heard that last week a federal judge expanded several provisions of the Family First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). We have been postponing our alert on this hoping the Department of Labor would issue some guidance for employers. So far, there has been no word from the DOL. If you […]
Posted on August 6, 2020 by Sara J. Ackermann
Wisconsin’s COVID-19 response bill (2019 Wisconsin Act 185) was enacted by the Wisconsin legislature in mid-April. It included provisions to charge unemployment claims caused by the COVID-19 public health emergency to the state’s balancing account, rather than to employers’ accounts, in order to relieve employers from increased unemployment taxes in 2021. This Act was tied […]
Posted on July 30, 2020 by Sara J. Ackermann
Governor Evers issued Emergency Order #1 on July 30, 2020 implementing a statewide face covering mandate. The face covering requirement will begin on Saturday, August 1, 2020 and will expire September 28, 2020 or by a subsequent superseding emergency order. The Order requires every individual over the age of five in Wisconsin wear a face […]
Posted on July 28, 2020 by Sara J. Ackermann
You are excited to get back to work! However, a few of your employees are not so eager to shed their jammies for pleated pants or steel-toed shoes. Can you force them to return? On the other hand, some employees who are happy to return have asked that you monitor off-duty conduct. You are getting […]
Posted on July 23, 2020 by Sara J. Ackermann
Beginning on Friday, July, 24, 2020 at 11:59 p.m., face coverings must be worn in Minnesota by all persons at indoor businesses, indoor public settings, and by workers outside when social distancing practices cannot be followed. Businesses are required to update their COVID-19 Preparedness Plans to include this requirement, inform their workers of this update, […]
Posted on July 20, 2020 by Sara J. Ackermann
Last week, the Department of Labor announced new Family Medical Leave Act forms were available on its website. (Note these forms are not applicable to the “Expanded FMLA” available under the Family First Coronavirus Response Act. Please don’t tell me you have no idea what I am talking about… ) The Department clarified, as with […]
Posted on July 9, 2020 by Amy E. Ebeling and Mary Ellen Schill
Way back in March, as the pandemic began to set in, Congress quickly passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (the Act) as part of a barrage of legislation aimed at providing relief to American workers. The Act requires that companies with fewer than 500 employees offer expanded paid leave—80 hours of paid sick leave […]
Posted on July 2, 2020 by Amy E. Ebeling
The IRS recently offered relief to Qualified Opportunity Fund investors, waiving a penalty and pushing back some investment deadlines. This new guidance comes as investment in opportunity zones slows, stymied by brisk coronavirus-related headwinds. A recent survey of investors conducted by the Economic Innovation Group, which helped design the program before it was tucked into […]
Posted on July 1, 2020 by Jessica A. Merkel, Mark D. Munson and Ruder Ware Alumni
As we reflect on the close of World Elder Abuse Awareness Month, we wanted to share some information on this important issue. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines elder abuse as an intentional act, or failure to act, by a caregiver or another person in a relationship involving an expectation of trust that […]
Posted on June 30, 2020 by Paul J. Mirr
Back in mid-March (which seems much longer than three months ago!), many governors issued stay-at-home orders, silencing the bustle of everyday activity. Restaurants and bars locked their doors, schools moved online, and weekend traffic on Wisconsin’s interstate highways decreased 60%. It was the equivalent, Paul Krugman wrote at the time, of a “medically induced coma, […]