Substantial Changes to Virginia Employment Law on July 1, 2020

June 12, 2020

Effective July 1, 2020, the Virginia employment law will drastically change to the benefit of those employed in the Commonwealth of Virginia.  Heretofore, Virginia’s laws could be counted on to favor employers.  Employees had little protection in the state anti-discrimination law, wage and hour laws, and, though increasing protections through case law existed in employee favor in the restrictive covenant arena, Virginia had no laws that regulated non-competes.  The Virginia General Assembly with Governor Northam approval enacted legislation in these three areas which will

Client Alert – Paycheck Protection Program Audits

May 13, 2020
One of the signature provisions of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”), signed into law by President Donald J. Trump on March 27, 2020, was the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”), which was designed to incentivize small businesses to keep employees on their payroll during the COVID-19 pandemic when businesses might otherwise be forced to furlough or lay off employees.  Subsequent developments from the Small Business Administration and the Secretary of the Treasury, Steven Mnuchin, have put businesses on alert that that may, or perhaps even will, be audited to verify that they met all of the qualifications for the PPP.
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Virginia General Assembly Relaxes Board Meeting Rules

April 24, 2020

Finally, some good news!   - On April 22, 2020, the Virginia General Assembly adopted amendments to House Bills 29 and 30 proposed by Governor Ralph Northam and expected to be signed by him within a few days.  The amendments provide significant and immediate relief from certain technical requirements related to the conduct of Board meetings for community associations throughout Virginia

DOL REGULATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF PAID SICK LEAVE AND PAID EXPANDED FAMILY MEDICAL LEAVE ACT LEAVE UNDER THE FAMILIES FIRST CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE ACT

April 19, 2020

The United States Department of Labor published its regulations implementing the provisions of Paid Sick Leave and Expanded Family Medical Leave Act Leave.  This guidance supersedes our prior guidance issued on March 25, 2020. 

The model notice/poster has been issued and subsequently re-issued.  The poster can be found at:

https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/WHD/posters/FFCRA_Poster_WH1422_Non-Federal.pdf.

HUD Provides Clarity on Assistance Animals

April 10, 2020

On January 28, 2020, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”) issued guidance aimed to assist housing providers, including community associations, in evaluating a person’s request for an assistance animal in order to reasonably accommodate a physical or mental disability under the federal Fair Housing Act. 1 The Guidance accomplishes a number of objectives.