While the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has not explicitly stated that mandatory vaccination policies are permissible, on December 16, 2020, it updated its Technical Assistance Publication, “What You Should Know About COVID-19 and the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and Other EEOC Laws.” 

On December 27, 2020, the President signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (the Act). The Act is wide-sweeping in its breadth at over 5,500 pages and provides the annual funding for the federal government. Importantly, for many small businesses, the Act contains several important rules providing further relief for those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, including revisions to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). For purposes of this alert, we will highlight some of the PPP provisions we believe will be of interest to employers.

On December 27, 2020, the President signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (the Act). The Act, among many other things, expands the employee retention tax credit and includes favorable changes to other employer-related tax provisions.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (the Act) signed by the President on December 27, 2020, includes a second round of funding for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). It also contains an important provision specifically including “housing cooperatives” as eligible applicants for PPP funding.

In a highly anticipated decision, Judge Ronnie Abrams of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, in Melendez v. The City of New York, dismissed a challenge to the “Guaranty Law” and related legislation that was enacted by the New York City Council in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Managing Partner Alan Tarter was quoted in a Law360 article titled, “Agile But Vulnerable, Small Firms Fight to Weather Virus.” The article explains how small and midsize firms were better poised than BigLaw to prepare their offices to work remotely and stay connected to their clients in the early stages of the pandemic.

Intellectual Property Counsel Janet Linn was quoted in the Bloomberg Law article, “Virus Delays Stir Deadline Concerns in Generic Drug Patent Cases.”

To all of our clients, colleagues, business partners, employees and contacts, we are making every effort to closely monitor the COVID-19 outbreak. Tarter Krinsky & Drogin's number one priority is to ensure the continued health, safety and well-being of all concerned. Rest assured, our offices are fully operational and we are conducting business in the usual course.