As the COVID-19 crisis continues to strain healthcare resources and professionals across the nation, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf has responded by extending liability protections for healthcare workers responding to the crisis.
To read the full text of this Duane Morris Alert, please visit the firm website.
Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Teresa Miller today announced on May 8, 2020, an Emergency Assistance Program (EAP) to help low-income families who lost wages and are experiencing financial challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Families who qualify will be eligible for a one-time payment to assist them in meeting basic needs and help them secure more stable financial footing in the future.
To read the full text of this post by Duane Morris partner Brad Molotsky, please visit the Duane Morris Project Development/Infrastructure/P3 Blog.
The Southern NJ Chamber of Commerce that outlined the programs below and reminded me of the various non-COVID related programs that still exist and are open for assistance from the NJEDA.
To read the full text of this post by Duane Morris partner Brad Molotsky, please visit the Duane Morris Project Development/Infrastructure/P3 Blog.
While Governor Wolf extended the “Stay at Home” order until June 4, 2020, by amendment to his earlier order, he also updated guidance on opening businesses in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is employing a regional and industry-specific approach to reopening “non-life-sustaining” businesses.
To read the full text of this post by Duane Morris partner Brad Molotsky, please visit the Duane Morris Project Development/Infrastructure/P3 Blog.
Governor Tom Wolf was joined by Attorney General Josh Shapiro to announce that he signed an executive order that protects Pennsylvanians from foreclosures or evictions through July 10. The action builds on a Pennsylvania Supreme Court order which closed court eviction proceedings until May 11 and ensures no renter or homeowner will be removed from their home for 60 more days.
To read the full text of this blog post by Duane Morris partner Brad Molotsky, please visit the Duane Morris Project Development/Infrastructure/P3 Blog.
The Federal Reserve Board issued initial guidance regarding its Main Street Lending Program on April 9, 2020, as authorized under the Coronavirus Economic Stabilization Act (Title IV of the CARES Act). This original guidance established the broad brush parameters of the program, but was short on details, raising concerns among both borrowers and lenders about its eventual implementation. On April 30, in response to a flood of public comments, the Federal Reserve released updated guidance, containing substantially greater operational details. The new guidance both modified and supplemented the two previously announced facilities―the Main Street New Loan Facility and the Main Street Expanded Loan Facility―and added a third facility, the Main Street Priority Loan Facility, expanding the overall scope of the program.
To read the full text of this Alert, please visit the firm website.
On May 6, 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom issued Executive Order No. N-62-20. The order states that employees will be presumed to have contracted COVID-19 in the course and scope of employment for purposes of workers’ compensation benefits if all of the following conditions are satisfied:
We previously posted about the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Emergency Regulations limiting debt collection activities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Yesterday, the Massachusetts Federal District Court enjoined the Massachusetts Attorney General from enforcing those regulations to the extent they prohibit debt collectors from making telephone calls or initiating court actions. The court’s order is based largely on constitutional protection of free speech and does not address the provisions of the emergency regulation prohibiting repossessions. While repossessions were not before the court, note that a ban on repossessions could be supported by public health interests and the need to avoid personal interactions. Note also that the order applies to debt collectors, collecting debts of others, as that is the constituency of the plaintiff. It does not address whether the regulations should be struck as to creditors collecting their own debts in their own names, but one would expect that if a debt collector is permitted to do an act, a creditor should be so permitted as well.
For more information concerning the impact of COVID-19 on Massachusetts consumer financing regulations, contact Charles A. Ognibene, Mike Garcia or Mike Grant, all in Duane Morris’ Boston office.
The construction industry in the UK has been afforded the freedom to continue work where it is safe to do so since the lockdown was implemented. It is a freedom that the sector has done its best to exploit where it can, with significant works continuing on a variety of essential and less essential projects. A number of leading construction companies and housebuilders have continued or recommenced work where they are able to do so, and a number of high profile projects are apparently progressing well. Build UK has reported that its members, who comprise some of the largest contractors operating in the UK, are now working on 73% of sites (up from 69% last week). However, the issues for the industry facing the prospect of full remobilisation to all sites have not changed.
To read the full text of this post by Steve Nichol and Matthew Friedlander, please visit the Duane Morris London Blog.
On the afternoon of May 6, 2020, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan provided updates on the state’s COVID-19 recovery, following his April 24 announcement of a three-stage plan to reopen the state.
To read the full text of this Duane Morris Alert, please visit the firm website.
