Category Employment & Labor (2)

SCOTUS Rules Gay and Transgender Employees Protected by Title VII

By BrownWinick | 06.23.2020

In a highly anticipated decision, the United States Supreme Court declared that employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity is prohibited by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (the “Act”). The decision was handed down in the consolidated case Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia on Monday, June 15th by a... Read More

Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020 Becomes Law, Easing Restrictions on Loan Forgiveness

By BrownWinick | 06.05.2020

Today, President Trump signed H.R. 7010, the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020 (“PPPFA”). The new law amends provisions of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) specifically related to forgiveness of the loans under the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”). The legislation saw overwhelming bipartisan... Read More

Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act

By Amy Johnson | 05.28.2020

The House passed a bill this afternoon that would provide businesses with greater flexibility with regard to their uses of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds. The legislation -- titled the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act -- was introduced by Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas and Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota. It is... Read More

Returning Employees to the Workplace? We’ve Got You Covered.

By BrownWinick | 05.28.2020

BrownWinick's Employment Practice Group has prepared a “Return to Work Playbook” to assist employers in returning employees to the workplace during this unusual and unprecedented time. The people contributing to this effort include Megan Moritz and Danielle Smid. The “Return to Work Playbook” (or Playbook) will be used as a tool with attorney... Read More

Guidance Regarding PPP Forgiveness

By Amy Johnson | 05.18.2020

On Friday, the SBA released much-anticipated guidance regarding the forgiveness component of Paycheck Protection Program loans: SBA and Treasury Release Paycheck Protection Program Loan Forgiveness Application The guidance includes the forgiveness worksheet that borrowers will be required to fill out as well as information on the types of... Read More

Iowa Tax Update for COVID-19

By BrownWinick | 05.07.2020

Filing and Tax Payment Extensions to July 31, 2020 and Possibly January 31, 2021 The Iowa Department of Revenue has extended the tax return filing and payment deadline to July 31, 2020 for certain individual, composite (nonresident partners), partnership, corporate, S corporation, fiduciary (not including Iowa Form 706 Inheritance Tax returns),... Read More

PPP Update: How much of your loan will be forgiven, and when you need to start paying off the 1% interest, 2-year loan.

By BrownWinick | 05.07.2020

It’s been a few weeks since the Payroll Protection Program (“PPP”) was passed into law and businesses have been approved (and hopefully have received) loans from the Small Business Administration (“SBA”). Recipients of the loans are eligible to receive full forgiveness for their loans if at least 75% of the loan proceeds are used for payroll... Read More

Training During Downtime – Ways to Connect, Engage, and Develop Your Workforce

By BrownWinick | 05.06.2020

With decreased business, employers have some supervisors and employees with extra time. This would be an excellent time to catch supervisors and employees up on important workplace training. While training sessions are usually conducted in person, all meetings – personal and professional – are now being handled virtually. One of the key issues... Read More

E-Verify COVID-19 Accommodation: New Temporary Rule for I-9 Compliance

By BrownWinick | 05.02.2020

On May 1, 2020, the federal Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that expiring list B documents used for the purpose of validating an employee’s eligibility to work in the United States may be treated as if the employee provided a valid receipt for the document for I-9 purposes. DHS reasoned that, “Because many areas are under... Read More

Congress Injects an Additional $310B in Funding for the Paycheck Protection Program—Eligible Borrowers Should Act Quickly

By BrownWinick | 04.27.2020

Late last week, Congress passed—and President Trump signed—a new round of small business relief funding, the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhance Act, which includes an additional $310 billion in funding for the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”). In just two short weeks, the first round of funding was exhausted, leaving many... Read More