Coronavirus (COVID-19)

September 17, 2020 by Duane Morris

Philadelphia to Expand Emergency Sick Leave Benefits to More Workers

On September 10, 2020, the Philadelphia City Council voted 16-1 in favor of a bill that expands paid sick leave benefits to Philadelphia workers who are not covered by federal sick leave laws, such as the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The bill will broaden the scope of Philadelphia’s Promoting Healthy Families and Workplaces sick leave law by providing paid “public health emergency leave” to more people who work within the geographic boundaries of the city, including individuals workings for companies with 500 or more employees, independent contractors and “gig economy” workers. Mayor Jim Kenney’s administration has indicated he supports the bill, and thus we expect he will sign it.

To read the full text of this Duane Morris Alert, please visit the firm website.

September 17, 2020 by Duane Morris

California’s Large Employers Are on the Hook for Supplemental Paid Sick Leave

Employers with workers in California, take note. A new supplemental paid sick leave law related to COVID-19 takes effect this month. On September 9, 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1867 (now known as Labor Code section 248 and 248.1) into law. Beginning September 19, 2020, all employers with more than 500 employees or who are otherwise exempt from the requirement to provide paid leave under the Families First Coronavirus Recovery Act (FFCRA) are now required to provide up to 80 hours of supplemental paid sick leave to employees for COVID-related reasons.

To read the full text of this Duane Morris Alert, please visit the firm website.

September 14, 2020September 17, 2020 by Duane Morris

IRS Adds Additional Forms That Can Be Signed Electronically Related to the Pandemic

On August 28, the IRS announced that it would temporarily allow the use of digital signatures on certain forms that cannot be filed electronically. As of September 11, 2020, they added several more forms to that list.

To read the full text of this post by Duane Morris partner Brad Molotsky, please visit the Duane Morris Project Development/Infrastructure/P3 Blog.

September 14, 2020 by Duane Morris

Pennsylvania to Allow 50 Percent Indoor Dining Capability

On September 8, 2020, Gov. Tom Wolf announced that restaurants in Pennsylvania will be allowed to increase their indoor seating capacity to 50 percent, effective September 21, 2020.

To read the full text of this post by Duane Morris partner Brad Molotsky, please visit the Duane Morris Project Development/Infrastructure/P3 Blog.

September 11, 2020November 18, 2020 by Duane Morris

No More Than 10 Can Attend: Texas Executive Order Effectively Halts Public Foreclosure Sales

There is no question that the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted a swift and large-scale shift in the way real property transactions take place from “business as usual” to a state of limbo in most of the 50 states. In Texas, commercial real estate lenders and creditors have recently found themselves to be no exception when it comes to carrying out foreclosure sales. Executive Order GA-28 is changing, if not outright preventing, a valid foreclosure sale from taking place in Texas—at least for the time being.

To read the full text of this Duane Morris Alert, please visit the firm website.

September 1, 2020September 1, 2020 by Duane Morris

California Announces New “Blueprint For A Safer Economy” That Includes Significant Changes to Reopening Guidance

By Brooke Tabshouri

After being the first state to shut down its whole economy in mid-March response to the COVID-19 crisis, California began reopening in May. After attempting to do so on a statewide basis, reopening was primarily driven at the county level, with some counties permitted to reopen various parts of the economy before others. The state then experienced a huge surge of cases shortly thereafter, leading to a reimposition of many restrictions, particularly with regard to bars and restaurants and indoor operations across a number of industries. It created a monitoring list that tracked six key factors regarding reopening, including positive test rates, hospital and ICU capacity, number of available ventilators and personal protective equipment available for hospitals, and cases per 100,000 people.

To allow a continued reopening without an accompanying surge in cases, effective August 31, 2020, California has a new, phased reopening that applies statewide called the Blueprint for a Safer Economy. Continue reading “California Announces New “Blueprint For A Safer Economy” That Includes Significant Changes to Reopening Guidance”

September 1, 2020 by Duane Morris

Small Business Administration Releases New Interim Final Rule on Paycheck Protection Program Loan Forgiveness

On August 24, 2020, the Treasury Department and Small Business Administration (SBA) released a new interim final rule on certain aspects of the loan forgiveness process for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans.

To read the full text of this Duane Morris Alert, please visit the firm website.

September 1, 2020 by Duane Morris

IRS Warns of Ongoing Tax Scams

The scams on the 2020 IRS Dirty Dozen list can be encountered at any time during the year, but they peak during tax season. With the extended tax deadlines this year due to the pandemic and extension season well under way, tax scams continue to occur at an alarming rate and an increasing number of people fall prey to these scams. Don’t be one of them. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Some scams are complex, with sophisticated algorithms being used to steal identities. Other scams are as simple as picking up the telephone to trap unaware and unsuspecting taxpayers. Once again and not surprisingly, phishing and phone scams are at the top of the list. And moving up from number eight last year to number two this year are fake charities, particularly popular among scammers due to the increasing number of people in need and the many new charities recently organized due to COVID-19.

To read the full text of this Duane Morris Tax Accounting Group Alert, please visit the firm website.

August 31, 2020August 31, 2020 by Duane Morris

FHA Extends Eviction and Foreclosure Moratorium for Homeowners through December 31, 2020

On August 28, 2020, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) announced the 3rd extension of its foreclosure and eviction moratorium through December 31, 2020, for homeowners with FHA-insured single family mortgages covered under the Coronavirus Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

This extension provides an additional 4 months of housing security to homeowners. With this third extension, the FHA has now provided more than nine months of foreclosure and eviction relief to FHA-insured homeowners.

To read the full text of this post by Duane Morris partner Brad Molotsky, please visit the Duane Morris Project Development/Infrastructure/P3 Blog.

August 28, 2020September 1, 2020 by Duane Morris

USCIS Extends I-9 Flexibility to September 19

USCIS has announced that its COVID-19 special flexibility provisions have been extended for another 30 days, until September 19.

To read the full text of this post by Duane Morris partner Valentine A. Brown, please visit the Duane Morris Immigration Law Blog.