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THESE UPDATES ARE OFFERED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DO NOT CONSTITUTE LEGAL ADVICE OR RECOMMENDATION
Employee Retention Credits (“ERC” or “credits”) were created as part of the CARES Act. Through significant expansions, ERC has become a significant form of COVID relief, similar to the PPP loan many non-profits have relied on. However, the infrastructure bill that the Senate passed (H.R. 3684) would end the ERC after the third quarter of 2021.
Governor Baker released a four-phased opening to Massachusetts, titled Reopening Massachusetts. Each phase will last, at a minimum, three weeks, and could last longer before moving to the next phase. If public health data trends are negative, specific industries, regions, and/or the entire Commonwealth may need to return to an earlier phase.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) was enacted on March 27, 2020 for purposes including the support of 501(c)(3) tax-exempt public charities. Title I of the CARES Act – “Keeping American Workers Paid and Employed Act” – contains the Paycheck Protection Program that provides emergency, government-backed loans for eligible 501(c)(3) organizations for the purpose of funding payroll and related expenses through mid to late June 2020.
CLIENT ALERT: Massachusetts Paid Family & Medical Leave Update
POTENTIAL THREE MONTH DELAY OF START OF THE PAYROLL TAX TO FUND PFML PROGRAM
Governor Charlie Baker, Senate President Karen Spilka, and House Speaker Robert DeLeo issued a joint statement on the evening of June 11, 2019, agreeing to delay the start of the payroll tax to fund the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave program from July 1, 2019, until October 1, 2019, …
On January 7, 2015, Governor Deval Patrick, signed into law “An Act Relative to Parental Leave” which replaces the Massachusetts Maternity Leave Act (the “MMLA”). Prior to the enactment of the law, the MMLA applied only to female employees. Under the new Parental Leave law, employers now must provide such leave to men on the same terms and conditions as leave is provided to women.
The Health Insurance Responsibility Disclosure (HIRD) form is a new Massachusetts reporting requirement in 2018. The HIRD form collects information about employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) offerings. Massachusetts law requires every employer in Massachusetts with six or more employees to submit a HIRD form. The HIRD reporting is administered by the Massachusetts Department of Revenue through the MassTaxConnect (MTC) web portal. The HIRD forms are due each year on November 30th.
The Massachusetts Non-Compete Law went into effect on October 1, 2018. A non-competition agreement is a type of agreement in which an employer provides some consideration (such as a bonus) to an employee or independent contractor in exchange for that employee or independent contractor agreeing not to compete for a period of time after leaving the employment relationship.
The Massachusetts Equal Pay Act is intended to combat gender discrimination in the workplace and to reduce the wage gap between men and women. The Massachusetts Attorney General is charged with enforcing the new law, which went into effect on July 1, 2018.
Summary of The Massachusetts Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
The Massachusetts Pregnant Workers Fairness Act will go into effect on April 1, 2018. The Act prohibits Massachusetts employers from denying pregnant women and new mothers reasonable accommodation for their pregnancies and any conditions related to their pregnancies and provides increased legal protection against pregnancy-related discrimination in the workplace. The law applies to employers with six or more employees.
