DOL Guidance On The Families First Coronavirus Response Act
By: Michelle De Oliveira, Esq.
As you may already know, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), effective on April 1, 2020, requires employers with fewer than 500 employees to provide paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave to certain eligible employees. Although many questions remain unanswered, the Department of Labor (DOL) has issued helpful guidance in the […]
Governor Baker Revises Non-Essential Business Emergency Order
GOVERNOR BAKER REVISES NON-ESSENTIAL BUSINESS EMERGENCY ORDER: EFFECTIVE APRIL 1, 2020, NOON, ALL PRIVATE CONSTRUCTION UNRELATED TO HOUSING, CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE, OR COVID-19 SHUT DOWN
by: J. Nathan Cole
Dear Kenney & Sams clients and friends,
As the coronavirus continues to sweep across the country, and as Massachusetts and federal authorities seek to curtail business and social activity to “flatten […]
DOL Announcement: Families First Coronavirus Response Act Effective on April 1st & Model Notice
By: Michelle De Oliveira, Esq.
On March 24, 2020, the DOL announced that the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) will be effective as of April 1st. The statute will be effective through December 31, 2020. This in turn means that employees may be eligible for paid sick leave under the FFCRA from April 1 through December 31, 2020.
Although regulations […]
Business Interruption Insurance Coverage Update: Massachusetts Senate Considers Retroactively Expanding Coverage to Include Covid-19 Based Claims
By: J. Nathan Cole
Massachusetts State Senator James B. Eldridge from Middlesex and Worcester Districts has introduced a bill (S.D. 2888) to rewrite and retroactively expand business interruption coverage to include losses caused by COVID-19. Typically, business interruption insurance provides coverage to replace losses, including lost net income, payroll, and other expenses incurred by a business during “periods of restoration,” […]
Governor Baker authorizes construction work to resume in Boston and Cambridge; Mayor Walsh responds, extending his order pausing non-essential construction in Boston.
Dear Kenney & Sams clients and friends,
We write to update you on significant and developing Orders directed at construction in the Commonwealth. Earlier today, Governor Baker issued guidance confirming and clarifying that the Commonwealth’s March 23, 2020 Order “Assuring Continued Operation of Essential Services in […]
Paid Sick Leave & Tax Credit For Businesses On The Horizon As The Families First Coronavirus Response Act Is Signed Into Law
On March 18, 2020, President Trump signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act into law. This legislation is designed to make emergency appropriations and incorporate certain changes into law to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other things, the law requires immediate action by employers […]
Construction Continues
Construction contractors in the Commonwealth may continue to operate and perform work on jobsites, subject to local municipal restrictions. Certain businesses are exempt from Governor Baker’s Order closing non-essential business operations until April 7th – this includes construction companies. Specifically, Governor Baker’s Order lists professions that are deemed “COVID-19 Essential Services,” […]
Construction Activity Suspended in City of Boston
Kenney & Sams, P.C. hopes that this message finds you, your families and colleagues in good health and safe circumstances. The ongoing COVID-19 outbreak continues to reshape all of our lives and our models of doing business. In particular, the decision by Mayor Marty Walsh to suspend all regular construction activity […]
COVID-19: Changes in The Landscape Of Unemployment Benefits, Layoffs Versus Furloughs & The WARN Act.
Part I: Changes in the Landscape of Unemployment Benefits
The Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance (“DUA”) has adopted emergency regulations (430 CMR 22:00) to address the COVID-19 pandemic and the hardship it may cause to businesses and employees.
Coronavirus Claims and Coverage: What Happens Next?
In these unprecedented times, Kenney & Sams, P.C., is fielding calls from clients asking whether their business insurance policies provide coverage to help offset or cover significant losses caused by the government’s shutdown of their businesses, exposure to the coronavirus, voluntary closures, jobsites lockouts, and lost productivity. These are monumental […]