Oct 07 2021

COVID-19Safety and Health  

WASHINGTON: 5th update to COVID-19 temporary worker housing rules

On September 24, 2021, Washington’s Departments of Labor & Industries (L&I) and Health made very minor updates to the existing COVID-19 (coronavirus) safety rules for temporary worker housing (TWH) in the agriculture industry to align with Governor Inslee’s current “Washington Ready” Proclamation (20-25.17). As a reminder, as of the end of June the agriculture industry no longer has its own COVID-19 safety compliance…

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Oct 07 2021

COVID-19Leave Laws  

Voluntary FFCRA and associated tax credits end

As of September 30, 2021, tax credits are no longer available for employers who have been voluntarily complying with the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) since the beginning of the year. In March 2020, former President Trump signed the FFCRA, which required employers with fewer than 500 employees to…

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Sep 28 2021

Affirmative ActionCOVID-19Harassment & DiscriminationSafety and Health  

ALERT: Guidance released on federal contractor vaccine mandate

On September 24, 2021, the Biden administration released guidance on the new vaccine mandate for federal contractors, entitled COVID-19 Workplace Safety Guidance for Federal Contractors and Subcontractors. The new guidance implements Executive Order 14042, Ensuring Adequate COVID Safety Protocols for Federal Contractors, issued by President Biden on September 9, 2021.…

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Sep 16 2021

COVID-19Employee BenefitsLeave LawsSafety and Health  

OREGON: Health care workers get paid leave for COVID-19 exposure

Oregon OSHA has published a temporary rule that requires employers with 11 or more employees to pay their health care workers who take time off to quarantine or isolate after a work-related exposure to COVID-19 (coronavirus). This rule on “medical relief benefits” (also referred to as “medical removal protection benefits”) is effective from…

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Sep 14 2021

Affirmative ActionCOVID-19DisabilitySafety and Health  

ALERT: Do federal vaccine mandates apply to your organization?

President Biden announced three different federal COVID-19 (coronavirus) vaccine mandates on September 9, 2021, which may potentially affect Vigilant members. Many details have yet to be released, but here’s a summary of what we know at this point: Employers with 100 or more employees: The President is directing federal OSHA to draft an…

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Sep 02 2021

COVID-19Safety and Health  

OREGON: Rules for outdoor mask mandate published

On August 27, 2021, the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) published temporary regulations requiring masks to be worn outdoors as well as indoors, with limited exceptions, effective immediately. The new rules incorporate and replace the existing indoor mask requirements that we previously reported here. The added outdoor mask mandate says that…

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Sep 02 2021

COVID-19  

Form I-9 remote inspection extended again, until December 31, 2021

The Department of Homeland Security has again extended its temporary relaxation of the standards for physically inspecting a new worker’s employment eligibility documents when completing the Form I-9. This is the eleventh extension of the relaxed standard, which will now expire on December 31, 2021. As we originally reported, Homeland Security…

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Sep 02 2021

COVID-19DisabilitySafety and Health  

OREGON: Vaccinations required for health care and school workers

The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) recently filed temporary regulations requiring workers in health care and school settings to obtain COVID-19 (coronavirus) vaccinations by October 18, 2021, or else provide documentation of an exemption due to disability or religion. We previously reported that Governor Kate Brown had announced that these workers…

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Aug 19 2021

COVID-19Harassment & Discrimination  

MONTANA: FAQs released regarding vaccine discrimination law

The Montana Department of Labor recently released a series of frequently asked questions (FAQs) concerning HB 702 (2021), which as we previously reported, prohibits employers and businesses from discriminating against individuals on the basis of vaccination status. The FAQs cover many topics and include the following key interpretations concerning the…

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Aug 19 2021

COVID-19Safety and Health  

OREGON: Safety rules updated in light of new mask mandate

On August 13, 2021, Oregon OSHA updated its workplace COVID-19 safety rules to be consistent with the Oregon Health Authority (OHA)’s general statewide emergency temporary rule requiring masks to be worn indoors in nearly all business settings as of August 13, 2021. (See our recent Alert on OHA’s mask mandate.) Employers must require…

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