Straight From The Source Blog by Higginbotham Insurance

At least 11 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws allowing recreational marijuana, and many other states have legalized medical marijuana. Despite this state-level legislation, marijuana remains illegal at the federal level. This has put many employers in a difficult position, caught between federal and state laws, and with the situation evolving rapidly. 

The Department of Labor (DOL) issued a second round of guidance related to paid sick leave and emergency FMLA under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). It also issued the required employee rights notice that employers will need to post along with FAQs related to the notice.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) announced its first round of published guidance to provide information to employees and employers about how each will be able to take advantage of the protections and relief offered by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) when it takes effect on April 1, 2020. Note, this is change from the original proposed effective date of April 2, 2020.

As more states and municipalities across the country are issuing mandates for employees of “nonessential” businesses to shelter in place, employers are left on their own to determine whether or not they qualify as an “essential” business. This includes understanding their particular status, what to do if they believe they are essential and the penalties associated with a wrong determination. Unfortunately, the answers vary from one jurisdiction to the next, and answers are anything but clear.

On Wednesday, March 18, 2020, the U.S. Senate voted to approve a coronavirus relief bill (the Act) that was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives over the weekend. The president signed the legislation on the evening of March 18, which means the leave provisions will go into effect on April 2 and will stay in effect until Dec. 31, 2020. Though this law has been passed, there is still much that will need to be addressed by the regulatory agencies in charge of enforcing it. We expect that to be coming out before the effective date.

The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted to pass the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (the “Act”) in the early morning hours of Saturday, March 14, 2020. President Trump has endorsed the legislation. However, there's uncertainty over when the U.S. Senate will vote on the bill, and the House has already amended it once.

On March 11, 2020, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued Notice 2020-15 to advise that high deductible health plans (HDHPs) can pay for 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) testing and treatment before plan deductibles have been met, without jeopardizing their status. 

Considering a Traditional Safe Harbor Retirement Plan?