January 12, 2021
This past year saw the enactment of a variety of new employment laws in California, including new disclosure requirements for employers and changes to the independent contractor landscape. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has touched nearly every sector of society, in nearly every corner of the world, and employment law in California is certainly no exception. The pandemic has ushered in a new legal landscape marked by heightened requirements for employers stretching from 2020 into 2023.
Below, we outline four new laws that require attention from California employers in the new year: (1) the new requirements for California employers in reporting wage and hour data; (2) the continuing evolution of the worker classification standard and the recent passage of Proposition 22; (3) the new COVID-19 notice requirements that will require employers to notify employees of possible exposure; and (4) the new Workers’ Compensation Disputable Presumption under SB 1159. We a
Highlights
The Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits and Venues Act (Economic Aid Act), which was part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 package, made various changes to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) that affect all PPP loans including those funded under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).
The Economic Aid Act opens a new PPP loan period for first loans and implements a second loan draw for certain PPP borrowers, each through March 31, 2021.
President Donald Trump signed the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits and Venues Act (Economic Aid Act), which was included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, on Dec. 27, 2020. In turn, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) published a new consolidated Interim Final Rule (IFR) on Jan. 6, 2021, relating to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) created by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), as revised by the Econ
Engineering Drives Significant Economic Activity And Employment New Landmark Study Finds
Engineering and Architectural Services Sector Employs More Than 1.5 Million; Generates 2% Of U.S. Economy
The Engineering and Architectural Services sector directly employs more than 1.5 million Americans and supports an additional 3 million indirect jobs making up 3 percent of all U.S. jobs. This is according to a first-of-its-kind industry profile out today from the ACEC Research Institute the leading source of knowledge and thought leadership in the engineering space. The analysis also found that the engineering and architectural services sector drives $386B in annual revenue.
Additional Key Findings:
The engineering and architectural services sector employs more than 1.5 million people and pays an average annual salary of $88,000, far exceeding the national average of $60,300.
Toronto Employers Face New COVID-19 Reporting Requirements Saturday, January 9, 2021
On January 4, 2021, the City of Toronto announced that employers and workplaces operating in Toronto’s public health unit will be subject to new reporting requirements regarding positive COVID-19 cases. In addition, Toronto Public Health announced that it will begin reporting data on workplace outbreaks effective January 7, 2021.
Reporting Outbreaks to Toronto Public Health
On January 4, 2021, Toronto’s medical officer of health, Dr. Eileen de Villa, issued a Letter of Instruction to all Toronto employers that are “permitted to be open under the
Reopening Ontario Act.” Under these instructions, employers must immediately notify Toronto Public Health when the employer or person responsible for a business or organization becomes aware of “
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The smallest businesses and those owned by people of color were last in line for Covid-19 relief. And they may well be again.
The Small Business Administration, in consultation with the U.S. Treasury, announced Friday that on January 11 it will relaunch the Paycheck Protection Program for borrowers at so-called community financial institutions. That s two full days before the portal opens to second-draw PPP borrowers on January 13. The PPP is now a $284 billion refundable loan offering aimed at struggling small businesses. Eligible second-draw borrowers include businesses that have already exhausted their first PPP loans or will do so soon, have 300 or fewer employees, and suffered at least a 25 percent drop in quarterly revenue from 2020 over 2019.