tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4795015926610059022024-03-12T23:58:13.332-05:00PEO OutpostStay productive, competitive, and up to date on everyday issues including Payroll, Human Resources, Safety, Workers Comp and Accounting challenges. The LL Roberts Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09008854387103570706noreply@blogger.comBlogger232125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479501592661005902.post-76633087934773763922022-04-18T09:48:00.005-05:002022-04-18T09:49:08.364-05:00The PEO Industry lost one of its early pioneers<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAflk3ruACd8rnjZ-BI7NFVK9gBjMoJCK3TygnRCPhFfW8fxGBNBebF5gy5RtofK9eAxv7boxhp6eARZsqUbjUEUApTKvLgx-QfzCU1Tf_i3ao0vtZMNAi940fp22UOjUX2DXCverK_6mm422K5PilwsVD-KbMPsK3p_Ehf50it_iRba8kDQbJZawq/s800/3g.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="743" data-original-width="800" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAflk3ruACd8rnjZ-BI7NFVK9gBjMoJCK3TygnRCPhFfW8fxGBNBebF5gy5RtofK9eAxv7boxhp6eARZsqUbjUEUApTKvLgx-QfzCU1Tf_i3ao0vtZMNAi940fp22UOjUX2DXCverK_6mm422K5PilwsVD-KbMPsK3p_Ehf50it_iRba8kDQbJZawq/s320/3g.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Larry Roberts Sr. a/k/a
“Senior” lost his 25+ year battle with Parkinson’s Disease on Wednesday April
13, 2022 passing in his sleep. </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">During the mid 1980’s, Senior became intrigued by an emerging industry known at
the time as “Employee Leasing.” In 1987, along with his good friend, Howard Gibraltar,
they launched what would eventually become one of the leading companies in the
Professional Employer Organization (PEO) Industry. Then in August of
1997, Senior and Howard sold their PEO, Certified Systems Incorporated (CSI),
to the Fortune 500 Company, ServiceMaster. <br />
<br />
During the early 2000’s Senior reemerged within the PEO Industry with his three
sons, LJ, Josh, and Chris Roberts. Their Company, The LL Roberts Group (LLRG),
rapidly established itself as a quality provider of employee administration
services from their Dallas, Texas based offices. Then in 2019 Senior’s
grandson, Austin, joined the company after graduating from Ole Miss making LLRG
possibly the first three-generation PEO within the Industry. Together, the
Roberts have followed the same game plan that Senior put into motion during the
1980’s to provide small and mid-sized business with a high touch, yet high
tech, customer service experience. <br />
<br />
Senior’s contributions to the PEO Industry are undeniable, and his reputation
amongst his peers is impeccable. His guiding hand will not only be missed by
his family at home, it will be greatly missed by his LLRG Family as well. <br />
<br />
May Senior rest in peace knowing that he positively impacted a successful
industry, hundreds of businesses, and countless individual lives throughout his
lifetime. The Roberts Family is touched and greatly appreciates all of the kind
remembrances and condolences offered since Senior’s passing. <br />
<br />
Larry Roberts Sr’s funeral services will be held at the Memorial Chapel at
Restland Cemetery in Dallas, Texas on Saturday April 23, 2022 at 10am. There
will be a public showing the day prior (Friday April 22nd) from 5-8 PM. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p>The LL Roberts Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09008854387103570706noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479501592661005902.post-29836219024500308062022-03-11T15:36:00.002-06:002022-03-11T15:36:57.155-06:00<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhsXNmAtjjccUNH8IKfdle9D4jzR0V-8GvpILHibk6NRRArQCD90Q7iV3_P_WatVvANeRdPgLCVHrwuGm3Amfu1VBdAguXotdYHF0pk2NrS2n0YEx5fG2V9EDnNwTiD8D9SRUplTbef0SCyQYb1AjVZQXxxqrYDc1jnkJiUsNFSXJ-D_JPRbnIdRbOF=s3456" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhsXNmAtjjccUNH8IKfdle9D4jzR0V-8GvpILHibk6NRRArQCD90Q7iV3_P_WatVvANeRdPgLCVHrwuGm3Amfu1VBdAguXotdYHF0pk2NrS2n0YEx5fG2V9EDnNwTiD8D9SRUplTbef0SCyQYb1AjVZQXxxqrYDc1jnkJiUsNFSXJ-D_JPRbnIdRbOF=s320" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">Some workplace distractions and interruptions are </span><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">unavoidable,</span><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">but others if not properly controlled or regulated could lead to injuries, lost productivity, and a </span><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">decrease in worker morale. </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">Work interruptions are a distraction that can result in work errors or accidents. Before addressing or responding to another person, workers should shut down or disengage any work tool, equipment, or processes. Job training should include instructions not to interrupt others during a critical job phase or process. Instruction manuals and procedural guidebooks should be kept on site to answer frequently asked questions and thereby eliminate the need to interrupt or distract other workers. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">External noise from tools, mobile equipment, and processes can be distracting in industrial and</span><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">construction work environments. In work situations where loud or constant noise is unavoidable, </span><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">hearing protection devices can eliminate or decrease unwanted and distracting noise. In other work</span><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">environments even not-so-loud sounds can be a distracting annoyance. Constantly ringing phones, </span><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">conversations, and loud faxes, copiers, and printers can distract workers from their job tasks or -- </span><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">depending on the level or duration of the noise -- can contribute to workplace stress.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">Electronic devices such as cell phones, or listening to music on our phones can be the source of serious</span><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">distractions in some work environments. Check with your supervisor to find out if these electronics are allowed where you work. If these devices are approved in your workplace, as a courtesy to your </span><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">co-workers, make sure you keep your cell phone on a low volume or silent when you work. To maximize work safety and performance, turn email notifications off and disable instant messaging. Don’t answer the phone or emails when you’re in the middle of a task – let it ring to voicemail then check messages later, preferably on your break time.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">In some work environments wearing a headset with low volume music can be relaxing to workers and help them to safely focus on their work. However, wearing headphones on a construction or industrial site can be dangerous if it prevents workers from hearing warning signals, mobile equipment backup alarms, and safety instructions. Walking around while talking on the phone or wearing a headset </span><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">distracts your attention from safety and could result in a slip or fall or cause you to run into or be struck by something or someone.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">Workplace distractions and interruptions are common, but </span><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">training can help you remember to keep your mind on the task at hand. Speak up about repeated and/or unsafe distractions and think and take responsibility for not interrupting or distracting others.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-currency-font-family: Cambria; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Cambria; mso-default-font-family: Cambria; mso-greek-font-family: Cambria; mso-hebrew-font-family: Cambria; mso-latin-font-family: Cambria; mso-latinext-font-family: Cambria;"> </span><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">If you want to create safety policies to handle workplace </span><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">distractions, It's best to have a committee to get several ideas and </span><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">be able to address pros and cons. The </span><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">committee should consist of several</span><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"> e</span><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">mployees that are a part of the specific workplace and at least one supervisor.</span><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">A good rule of thumb is getting</span><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">input from your</span><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">employees that are on the “front line” and have first hand experience in the</span><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">workplace. By giving the employees input on how rules are created, it will make them more accountable for their own safety by having ownership, buy-in, and opportunities to follow the rules that are set out.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 1.0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">When creating a set of policies, rules, or </span><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">procedures, Keep it as simple as you can. One of the biggest challenges that employers need to consider is how it will affect your company’s leadership. Will your supervisors or managers be able to follow and enforce these rules?</span><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 1.0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">To have effective safety policies they will need to address the 4 “W’s” - What, Where, Who, and When:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 1pt; text-align: left;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -8.8766pt;">What - what is being prohibited, whether actions or devices.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -8.8766pt;">Where - What location is the action being prohibited.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -8.8766pt;">Who - What person(s) are prohibited certain actions or devices.</span><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -8.8766pt;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -8.8766pt;">When - When is the action or device prohibited and what, if any are the exceptions.</span></li></ul><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">No matter the reason, unplanned interruptions are detrimental to our productivity, our safety, and the safety of those around us.</span><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">Don’t let a lack of preparation, organization, or consideration on someone else’s part put you in a situation you might regret.</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 1pt; text-align: left;"><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12pt;">If you have any questions any information found in this posting, please contact the LL Roberts Group or our Safety Division, Roberts Risk Management (toll free) at 877.878.6463. You can even talk to us on </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/LLRobertsGroup"><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12pt;">Facebook</span></a><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12pt;"> or </span><a href="https://twitter.com/LLRobertsGroup"><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12pt;">Twitter!</span></a><span lang="en-US" style="color: blue; font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>The LL Roberts Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09008854387103570706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479501592661005902.post-39509682462936783942022-02-18T12:20:00.000-06:002022-02-18T12:20:56.334-06:00Paying your employees electronically makes sense—for everyone.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 2.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 2.0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjLvYIhImSUZ1eM4Nh83FlxtgDxSG5GHKT9hi72BnxiJ7fzM2CTyWs7RgzYuBOJs3kTrqK-Yz_UtKjMmpnPNmTEwKJu-h1gClJquMOOArp5_av7DCB0qlPx67fXWOyWyB6KHg1RufYrXLX7UjhFW4SrSOEdbI_UGggmh4J0P-JuXlF2zSrwemiOjgIl=s4000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjLvYIhImSUZ1eM4Nh83FlxtgDxSG5GHKT9hi72BnxiJ7fzM2CTyWs7RgzYuBOJs3kTrqK-Yz_UtKjMmpnPNmTEwKJu-h1gClJquMOOArp5_av7DCB0qlPx67fXWOyWyB6KHg1RufYrXLX7UjhFW4SrSOEdbI_UGggmh4J0P-JuXlF2zSrwemiOjgIl=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Every pay day, your employees must come by
the office or seek out a supervisor to receive their paycheck. Sometimes, you may not be available when they
stop by or maybe the delivering of your company’s payroll package is running
late causing undue frustration for your employees. </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 2.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 2.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The old saying that “time is money” is also
a factor. Not only does the employee need to pick up their check from work, but
they must then make a trip to the bank or check cashing facility to cash or
deposit their check. Of course, they might even take time away from their job
to do so, adversely impacting your company’s productivity and profitability.
The fact that your employees must find time to go cash their checks creates
numerous opportunities to misplace their paycheck or even lose it. It’s totally
understandable that delays in getting paid can create anxiety and even anger
for the impacted employees.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 2.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 2.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 2.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 2.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">According to the National Federation of
Independent Businesses, 60% of employees already receive their paychecks
through direct deposit, and increasingly more employees are expecting to
receive their wages electronically. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">The advantages associated with paying your
employees electronically include: (1) reduced risk of check fraud and lost or
stolen checks, (2) greater control over payroll and payroll expenses, (3)
timely payment of wages, (4) employees don't have to be in the office to get
paid, (5) employees have access to funds earlier than with paper checks, (6) no
time wasted at the bank or ATM, therefore less employee time away from work,
and (7) reduced risk of payroll delivery delays due to weather, interim payrolls,
or payroll error corrections.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 2.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 2.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 2.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 2.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Frankly, brick and mortar banks are rapidly
fading into the past as most banking is now done online today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a result, there are very few reasons why anyone
goes to the bank. As for check cashing establishments, the fees charged your
employees to cash their check are usually exorbitant. With paper paychecks, your
employees usually must make a special trip to the bank or check cashing
establishment to cash or deposit their paycheck. However, with direct deposits
or pay cards, there’s no need for employees to go to the bank because their
paycheck is deposited directly into their account. Additionally, if a payday
occurs on a holiday, employers can process payroll earlier and have their
payday fall on a different day. If employees are on vacation or if they’re
taking a sick day, they’ll still be able to get paid electronically.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 2.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 2.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 2.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 2.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The electronic payment of wages
automatically places an employee’s paycheck into their checking, savings, or
pay card directly from the employer’s account. Paying your employees
electronically is a secure option for employers and is convenient for
employees. The ACH, or Automatic Clearing House, is the electronic network for making
these types of financial transactions. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 2.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 2.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 2.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 2.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">By paying your employees electronically,
they can deposit their wages into multiple accounts such as checking, savings, pay
cards, credit unions, etc. This allows employees to have a portion of their
paycheck go directly into a savings or retirement account while the rest of
their paycheck goes into their checking account. This capability provides a
flexibility and convenience that your employees will enjoy and are increasingly
expecting. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 2.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 2.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 2.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 2.0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">To find out more about how you can start paying
your employees electronically, contact your LLRG PEO Representative or Payroll
Specialist. You’ll discover that it is a fast and easy process for you and your
employees. <o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>The LL Roberts Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09008854387103570706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479501592661005902.post-15824133554073359082022-01-13T14:57:00.004-06:002022-01-13T14:57:54.285-06:00Blow to the Biden Administration may be a blessing for large employers. <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDsbUQq-62V0A3PClQ-jrw3_o8MEq_YzpQ-l4iVskMDubuVzY7VqDXSVRdWDESGGkFdpOP7OGLbBPDgEHTSYMho8CB7IiYZ5OHKKguyl-RpGu7dB7uplzk3unEnd_CvAgL8Y1Q3y2yNPNxvHubPFeo-bLUlees4p3odhPYloH8UBqZxB2PhxdlzPxi=s618" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="331" data-original-width="618" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDsbUQq-62V0A3PClQ-jrw3_o8MEq_YzpQ-l4iVskMDubuVzY7VqDXSVRdWDESGGkFdpOP7OGLbBPDgEHTSYMho8CB7IiYZ5OHKKguyl-RpGu7dB7uplzk3unEnd_CvAgL8Y1Q3y2yNPNxvHubPFeo-bLUlees4p3odhPYloH8UBqZxB2PhxdlzPxi=w400-h214" width="400" /></a></div><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">The Supreme Court issued today (Thursday, January 13</span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 7.9919pt;"><sup>th</sup></span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">) mixed rulings in a pair of historic cases challenging the Biden Administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates. The Court is allowing the mandated requirement for certain health care workers to go into effect while blocking the more impactful enforcement of a mandate for businesses with 100 or more employees. The latter, an OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) rule that technically took effect on Monday, required that businesses with at least 100 employees needed to require workers to get vaccinated, or get tested weekly and wear a mask. That is off the table for now. So, many large employers are now breathing a sigh of relief. We are closely watching for more news and insights on this significant Supreme Court decision. Continue to visit the LLRG Blog for updates and other news impacting employers across the country.</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="en-US" style="language: en-US;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>The LL Roberts Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09008854387103570706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479501592661005902.post-61749678437419375112022-01-04T08:23:00.004-06:002022-01-04T08:23:31.424-06:00Potential Fines for Vaccine Mandate Noncompliance<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhCSk4s7fJbMrt_YRKUpOSGrzeU88vXzUqbYIa9T6LuQNvF5jMoEVwmqUPaB9ldDtAtYwZ7JSVGZ3dM8PR_hq0MpdmwT36okc_odzOGe71eh5nPoR6-R-oABRo8x7MK8hCFIpzIJOEQOtpTTtKOjr6OYtYU6tHUEhHUIsmtNe3flT_FiVoPhY3_3hlH=s839" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="687" data-original-width="839" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhCSk4s7fJbMrt_YRKUpOSGrzeU88vXzUqbYIa9T6LuQNvF5jMoEVwmqUPaB9ldDtAtYwZ7JSVGZ3dM8PR_hq0MpdmwT36okc_odzOGe71eh5nPoR6-R-oABRo8x7MK8hCFIpzIJOEQOtpTTtKOjr6OYtYU6tHUEhHUIsmtNe3flT_FiVoPhY3_3hlH=w400-h328" width="400" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 1.0pt; margin-right: 12.0pt; margin-top: 1.0pt; mso-pagination: none;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 4.0pt; margin-right: 12.0pt; margin-top: 1.0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">With the Supreme Court set to make a determination on the permissibility of the Biden Administration’s Vaccine Mandate this week, many are wondering what the fines could be for noncompliance.</span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Times; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 4.0pt; margin-right: 12.0pt; margin-top: 1.0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="en-US" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">When President Biden announced a federal COVID-19 vaccine and testing requirement for companies with 100 or more employees, legal experts had their concerns. The biggest among them was how the historically underfunded and understaffed federal agency tasked with drafting the rule — the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA — could enforce it. </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">It has been estimated that </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;"><span dir="ltr"></span>84 million workers will be </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">impacted by this mandate</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">. OSHA didn’t </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">initially </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">address enforcement or penalties when it issued the emergency temporary standard on </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">November 4, 2021. Furthermore, a</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;"> former deputy assistant secretary of OSHA said the requirement covers more workers and workplaces than any previous standard issued by the federal agency, which he said </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">currently </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">employs less than 2,000 inspectors.</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;"> Statistics show it would take OSHA 165 years to inspect every workplace just once. So enforcement of the mandate will be major challenge for OSHA. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 4.0pt; margin-right: 12.0pt; margin-top: 1.0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">So, the odds of a random OSHA inspection occurring at a business to determine whether that business follows the vaccine mandate is remote. What is far more likely than a random visit from an OSHA Inspector is a disgruntled employee or a third party reporting a business for noncompliance. That could then result in an inspector being sent to the business to conduct an assessment. </span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Times; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 4.0pt; margin-right: 12.0pt; margin-top: 1.0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">Apparently, t</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">here is no separate category of enforcement fo</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">r the v</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">accine </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">m</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">andate</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">.</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;"> That means companies that are not in compliance face </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">the standard </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">fine</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;"> determinations (based on </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">OSHA’s 2021 posted penalty amounts) of up to $13,653 for a serious violation or $136,532 for a willful violation. </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">However,</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;"> these amounts are the maximum OSHA can fine employers. </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">Some OSHA observers have </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">speculate</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">d that</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;"> the </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">initial </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">fines </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">for vaccine mandate violations </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">will be in the neighborhood of $2,000 to $4,00</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;"><span dir="ltr"></span>0, but v</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">iolation amounts </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">are typically determined by the</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #1a1714; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;"> </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">“</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #1a1714; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">OSHA </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">A</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #1a1714; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">rea </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">D</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #1a1714; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">irector</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">”</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #1a1714; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;"> who signs off on a citation and determine</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">s</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #1a1714; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;"> the precise penalty for violation</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">s</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #1a1714; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">. </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">The Area Director</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #1a1714; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;"> would take four factors into account when deciding the penalty level: </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">(1) </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #1a1714; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">the gravity of the violation (entailing the worst possible outcome and risk of it occurring)</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">, (2)</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #1a1714; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;"> the employer’s size, </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">(3) </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #1a1714; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">the employer’s “good faith” </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">effort to comply with regulations, </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #1a1714; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">and </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">(4) </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #1a1714; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">the employer’s history of compliance.</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;"> Yet a</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #1a1714; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">nother </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">source</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #1a1714; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;"> has said that given th</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">e importance placed on the</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #1a1714; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;"> emergency temporary standard </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">by the Biden Administration and the</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #1a1714; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;"> safety threat associated with COVID-19 at work, it seems</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;"> more</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #1a1714; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;"> likely that violations </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">may</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #1a1714; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;"> be treated harshly. OSHA does</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;"> not</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #1a1714; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;"> have the resources to audit </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">every large employer </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #1a1714; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">or fine everybody</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">. S</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #1a1714; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">o</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">, it’s possible that OSHA </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #1a1714; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">will look to make an example of a few violators with large penalties to </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">influence employers to comply with the mandate.</span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Times; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 4.0pt; margin-right: 12.0pt; margin-top: 1.0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">Again, the Supreme Court will be hearing arguments concerning the mandate’s permissibility on January 7</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 7.9919pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;"><sup>th</sup></span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">. Potentially impacted large employers are hopeful that the contemplation of what fines might be is irrelevant after a Supreme Court decision on the fate of the mandate.</span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Times; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 4.0pt; margin-right: 12.0pt; margin-top: 1.0pt; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"><span lang="en-US" style="color: black; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Times; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Times; mso-armenian-font-family: Times; mso-ascii-font-family: Times; mso-currency-font-family: Times; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Times; mso-default-font-family: Times; mso-greek-font-family: Times; mso-hebrew-font-family: Times; mso-latin-font-family: Times; mso-latinext-font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="en-US" style="language: en-US;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>The LL Roberts Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09008854387103570706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479501592661005902.post-85557754933908739722021-12-29T10:25:00.001-06:002021-12-29T10:25:01.466-06:00Important insights and tips regarding the Vaccine Mandate<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiEQTaaQq_Hk55jdjMl4Dl3hwu3oLoNczwYrh-c2P-y2leth2jGPlBedY4ibRqnWAtvtL2WQyCtw2gCvD-srrSw553bLXaEbKKZwA4Oo38MIqPSu7DfgRkXT9Y6zcDz2N0tpPvyewURgN87enSl6P6xBgT6oBqylYV2hgWSux5RIXej-T6Kv0TSCTyz=s1042" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="729" data-original-width="1042" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiEQTaaQq_Hk55jdjMl4Dl3hwu3oLoNczwYrh-c2P-y2leth2jGPlBedY4ibRqnWAtvtL2WQyCtw2gCvD-srrSw553bLXaEbKKZwA4Oo38MIqPSu7DfgRkXT9Y6zcDz2N0tpPvyewURgN87enSl6P6xBgT6oBqylYV2hgWSux5RIXej-T6Kv0TSCTyz=w400-h280" width="400" /></a></div><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt;">LLRG has conducted separate meetings with employment law attorneys, OSHA representatives and HR consultants regarding the Biden Administration’s Vaccine Mandate—set to go into effect January 10, 2022. This employer regulation is to be enforced by OSHA. OSHA is set to begin enforcement of the mandate on February 9, 2022. While at the time of this blog post, the U.S. Supreme Court has not issued a ruling on the permissibility of the mandate, legal experts are advising impacted employers to proceed as through the mandate will go into effect January 10</span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 7.9919pt;"><sup>th</sup></span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt;">.</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt;">There are different vaccine mandates that have been issued by the federal government, with the most publicized pertaining to private employers with workforces of 100 or more employees (full and part-time employees are counted the same). After the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals yielded on its stay, the mandate was rescheduled to take effect on January 10</span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 7.9919pt;"><sup>th</sup></span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt;">. However, multiple appeals have been filed with the U.S. Supreme Court arguing that the Biden Administration does not have the authority to issue such a mandate. The Court has set the cases for oral argument on January 7, 2022. We must share that the various advisors that LLRG’s staff has spoken with encourage our clients to proceed with all efforts to implement a vaccine mandate plan. For the most part, those advisors do not feel that the mandate will be overturned; however, they can see certain facets of the mandate being removed or changed.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt;">Today, more than 204 million people are fully vaccinated in the U.S., that’s 62% of the overall population. So, that leaves an appreciable percentage of the workforce that does not meet the mandate’s requirements. Therein lies the issue for many employers. It’s already difficult recruiting and retaining employees </span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: underline;">without</span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt;"> a vaccine requirement. How much harder will it be when current and potential employees refuse to become vaccinated.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt;">So, what must an impacted employer do to comply with the mandate?</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt;">The mandate is extensive in his language; however, here are a few key points:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt;">Employers with over 100 employees are required to keep a roster with a total number of employees, how many are vaccinated, how many are unvaccinated and if they have claimed exemptions for religious or health reasons.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt;">This information must be up to date and available to OSHA upon request.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt;">Basically, good record keeping practices are a must. There are specialty vendors that have developed online, cloud-based programs to assist employers with these recordkeeping processes for a fee.</span></li><li><span lang="en-US" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">Employers must keep onsite and secured copies of the employee’s vaccination cards/documents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is recommended that someone within the company be appointed to maintain those records. If called upon by OSHA to produce evidence of compliance, such records would need to be provided.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Furthermore, if an employee asks for a copy of their card (even though they are the one that provided it to you originally) an employer has until the end of the next business day to produce a copy for the employee. </span></li><li><span lang="en-US" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">Follow HIPPA regulations concerning medical record privacy and employee rights. For example, while you can (and must) ask the employees if they are vaccinated (as you request evidence of such), you cannot ask an employee that responds no, “why aren’t you vaccinated?” or be critical of them for not being previously vaccinated. Remember, any vaccination records are to be kept confidential and secured.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></li><li><span lang="en-US" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">If an employee provides an employer with an acceptable reason for not being vaccinated (medical or religious reasons), then the employee must provide acceptable evidence of a “negative” test result on a weekly basis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Furthermore, they must always remain masked while at the workplace. It is recommended that the employer pick a specific day of each week that they require the test results to be presented to them by the unvaccinated employees. There are special exemption forms that LLRG can provide you with to document an employee’s exemption. While there is a shortage of testing kits nationwide and employees may not be able to be tested due to the shortage, there are no exceptions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unless the employees have a medical or religious exemption, they cannot return to work without evidence of a negative test. Also, the employer is not required to pay for any tests, the burden for being tested and paying for tests rests solely on the employee’s shoulders.</span></li><li><span lang="en-US" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">An employee can use an “at home tests”; however, the administration of such tests must be proctored by a medical professional (telemedicine provider is acceptable) or by an appointed or approved representative of the employer. Otherwise, the unvaccinated employee will need to go to a COVID testing facility and be tested so that they can provide proof of a negative test to their employer (weekly).</span></li><li><span lang="en-US" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">It doesn’t matter if your workforce is spread out across multiple worksites (or even within different states).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If your workforce (full and part-time employees are counted the same) is 100 or more employees, you must comply with the mandate. </span></li><li><span lang="en-US" style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">If a business has federal contracts that they are working on, then they are required to comply with the mandate, regardless of the size of their workforce (i.e. even if you only have an employee or two).</span></li><li><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt;">If a business is in a healthcare related industry that has patient visitation and interactions, such as doctors’ offices, dentists, and hospitals, then they may be required to comply with the mandate, regardless of the size of their workforce (i.e. even if you only have an employee or two).</span></li><li><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt;">Also, some states, such as California, have imposed added requirements on employers to comply with (in relation to the vaccine mandate). So, you may want to check with your state and local authorities or their websites for more information concerning vaccine requirements. </span></li></ul><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt;">
</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt;">Many impacted businesses are asking, “what is the likelihood that OSHA will check on my company’s mandate compliance?” Frankly, it isn’t likely that OSHA will initiate any type of massive compliance initiative; however, what is more likely is that a disgruntled employee or a member of the general public would turn in a business that is not in compliance (as is the typically the case with OSHA investigations).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">Lastly, you can learn more about the vaccine mandate and the related requirements by visiting the OSHA website and reviewing the Vaccine Mandate FAQ at </span><a href="https://www.osha.gov/coronavirus/ets2/faqs"><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt;">https://www.osha.gov/coronavirus/ets2/faqs<br /></span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">Look for more updates and information to be posted on the LLRG Blog for as long as the mandate remains in place. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="en-US"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="en-US" style="language: en-US;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>The LL Roberts Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09008854387103570706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479501592661005902.post-15426357229217047782021-12-28T11:20:00.003-06:002021-12-28T11:20:28.001-06:00CDC reduces the isolation period for those COVID-19 infected and exposed <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhIE0eq32O_s06Bsh6e5LSQ0kAuPcs3LWOOAI8DcyGiETBQrRBO1VjALTwQ6tJ2vrb08fH5BYOzBpuNn55B6_gLjHzoFu-KO9Wi8STAJkKGZLSW0MVW8F0Wp8iW71juya3F-V3Y5uHy1X-hOSBnAptmyCBZiObHvXoeyMhyS36Pfn4NZVNTZpmFS4Ua=s1024" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhIE0eq32O_s06Bsh6e5LSQ0kAuPcs3LWOOAI8DcyGiETBQrRBO1VjALTwQ6tJ2vrb08fH5BYOzBpuNn55B6_gLjHzoFu-KO9Wi8STAJkKGZLSW0MVW8F0Wp8iW71juya3F-V3Y5uHy1X-hOSBnAptmyCBZiObHvXoeyMhyS36Pfn4NZVNTZpmFS4Ua=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 1.0pt; margin-top: 1.0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">Contrary to what many might have expected, the CDC has reduced the number of days recommend for people to isolate after being infected with COVID-19 to five days from 10. This is likely due to recent research, improved pandemic-management practices and the hardships experienced by several industries as the Omicron variant continues to spread. Basically, what the CDC is saying is that anyone that is infected with COVID-19 and is asymptomatic can leave isolation after five days; however, should wear masks around other people for an additional five days. Furthermore, with the highly contagious nature of the Omicron variant, anyone exposed to infected individuals should wear a mask for 10 days afterwards, as a precaution. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 1.0pt; margin-top: 1.0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 1.0pt; margin-top: 1.0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">According to the CDC, most of the COVID-19 transmission occurs early in the course of the illness, typically within the 1 or 2 days prior to onset of symptoms and then 2-3 days thereafter. While current infection rates are high, hospitalizations and deaths are very low (in comparison to the prior virus variants).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 1.0pt; margin-top: 1.0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 1.0pt; margin-top: 1.0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">Countless reports suggest that the Omicron variant is less severe than the first two waves of the virus; however, its adversely impacting many businesses as infected workers stay home. If white collar employees can work online during the abbreviated isolation period, that’s fine, but for blue and gray collared employees that doesn’t work. As a result, many businesses are extremely shorthanded and stressed. Let’s hope this reduced isolation period can provide those businesses with some sort of relief. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 1.0pt; margin-top: 1.0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 1.0pt; margin-top: 1.0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">As we all make our way through this current wave of the virus, some members of the medical community are predicting that the virus will now begin to fade away. Some are predicting that the Omicron variant will peak on or about January 9th.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 1.0pt; margin-top: 1.0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 1.0pt; margin-top: 1.0pt; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">Next week is big as we expect a determination from the U.S. Supreme Court as to whether the vaccine mandate for large employers is permissible or not. Standby for more updates from LLRG.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="en-US" style="language: en-US;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>The LL Roberts Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09008854387103570706noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479501592661005902.post-66778756301110852512021-12-23T10:33:00.002-06:002021-12-23T10:33:40.537-06:00Vaccine Mandate’s fate rest with Supreme Court<p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 1.0pt; margin-top: 1.0pt; mso-pagination: none;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJW3CT_7tw1j23asaYiCywycndXiaiB5unKPy-0nGQI2lDs6KOeqXjkVsrgEz6aLWCcBh9itaTeP7SGgp9zexNIdAsA0xIoTScus1uDf1rzl2tsNAF3Wtx0MPeQs7ZJ5iyxvoaURoqX5YCCKUInD4uHZvjjNiwgzmjgzr2yGAd5RmAHK2BXmCJoTBN=s864" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="481" data-original-width="864" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJW3CT_7tw1j23asaYiCywycndXiaiB5unKPy-0nGQI2lDs6KOeqXjkVsrgEz6aLWCcBh9itaTeP7SGgp9zexNIdAsA0xIoTScus1uDf1rzl2tsNAF3Wtx0MPeQs7ZJ5iyxvoaURoqX5YCCKUInD4uHZvjjNiwgzmjgzr2yGAd5RmAHK2BXmCJoTBN=w400-h223" width="400" /></a></div><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">The Supreme Court announced Wednesday December 22nd that it will hold a special hearing next month to hear oral arguments and will consider challenges to the Biden administration’s pandemic efforts affecting millions of workers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the federal nationwide vaccine and testing requirement for large employers (with 100+ employees), and a separate coronavirus vaccine mandate for health-care workers. <o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 1.0pt; margin-top: 1.0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 1.0pt; margin-top: 1.0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">It is very unusual for the justices to schedule hearings on emergency requests; however, that is exactly what the court will do on January 7th, three days prior to the scheduled effective date of the vaccine mandates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Twenty-seven states and numerous business associations and religious groups filed more than a dozen petitions with the court for emergency action to block the OSHA rules, which would cover an estimated 80 million U.S. workers.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 1.0pt; margin-top: 1.0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 1.0pt; margin-top: 1.0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">The arguments to be heard by the court challenge the Biden Administration’s authority to force employers and other entities to require employees to become vaccinated. A common belief amongst those petitioning the court to prevent the mandate from taking effect is that the executive branch cannot be allowed to usurp the power of the legislative branch to make laws, and therefore the President lacks the power conferred by the Constitution to do so.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 1.0pt; margin-top: 1.0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 1.0pt; margin-top: 1.0pt; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">So, this matter is not settled just yet. In fact, it is where many thought or hoped it would end up, the Supreme Court.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 1.0pt; margin-top: 1.0pt; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>Standby for more updates from the LL Roberts Group regarding this historic constitutional challenge and the fate of the vaccine mandate.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="en-US" style="language: en-US;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>The LL Roberts Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09008854387103570706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479501592661005902.post-39558749020776653572021-12-22T10:02:00.007-06:002021-12-22T10:07:10.066-06:00Vaccination Mandate Update<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjY-aVW5ex2pOWRH50u3QHqJ7JPn6ja9fYfQThyA7zskEzqI_JyfH6A7EiWu1sJwwJAjRrQGiYvdxdVO-CQBooCvQfp3CONHa93zknSmiKWj-CbJCPqyJk7oPI29kjhugL9KPDtUoFfF5SIxbK59s_kea9jCBnwHB9TRwTAM9R3TgJyzhp1Azsckzez=s1200" style="clear: right; display: inline; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjY-aVW5ex2pOWRH50u3QHqJ7JPn6ja9fYfQThyA7zskEzqI_JyfH6A7EiWu1sJwwJAjRrQGiYvdxdVO-CQBooCvQfp3CONHa93zknSmiKWj-CbJCPqyJk7oPI29kjhugL9KPDtUoFfF5SIxbK59s_kea9jCBnwHB9TRwTAM9R3TgJyzhp1Azsckzez=s320" width="320" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 14pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">President Biden's vaccine and testing mandates for large businesses. The directives, which require workers at companies with more than 100 employees to either get fully vaccinated or provide negative COVID-19 test results weekly, had been temporarily blocked by a federal appeals panel in Louisiana early last month. Previously scheduled to take effect on Jan. 4, 2022, the regulations will cover some 84 million workers, according to the White House. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">Previously, a three-judge panel from the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit granted a temporary stay against the rule. However, in a recent 2-1 decision, the judges for the Sixth Circuit said that OSHA "has demonstrated the pervasive danger that COVID-19 poses to workers -- unvaccinated workers in particular -- in their workplaces."</span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Calibri; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 13.5pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">Now that the appeal has been overturned, the adjusted requirement is that the creation of a vaccination plan be put in place by January 10, 2022. Furthermore, OSHA’s enforcement of the vaccine requirement for those employers (and their workforces) impacted will begin on February 10, 2022. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 14pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">President Biden's mandate allows workers to present a negative COVID-19 test once a week to continue their employment, though they may have to pay for those tests themselves; however, the DOL can require employers to give workers paid time off to get vaccinated and paid sick leave to recover from any side effects from the shot. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires employers to provide "reasonable accommodations" to workers with medical conditions that would make them unable to get a vaccine. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recognizes COVID as a disability under the ADA. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, these civil rights protections can't be waived. It's still unclear whether workers will be able to defy the vaccine mandate because of their religious beliefs -- it's possible decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">There have been multiple recent petitions filed with the U.S. Supreme Court to prevent the enforcement of the Biden Administration Vaccine Mandate, but if the court chooses not to override the mandate, and if your company employs 100 or more workers, you will be legally required to comply with the mandate. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">The LL Roberts Group will continue to provide updates on the mandate on our blog, LinkedIn posts, and direct communications to our PEO clients. </span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Calibri; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="en-US"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="en-US"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p></p>The LL Roberts Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09008854387103570706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479501592661005902.post-50087416038148584992021-11-18T13:39:00.004-06:002021-11-18T13:39:48.973-06:00OSHA suspends implementation and enforcement of Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) on mandatory COVID-19 vaccination<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0VD7sk_X1-hKhqF_31LJ1netn2_1L0Tb9mqehPQENqbWmN825h43zXM-EGtMizwySUt83w2znzuy_QVExE_FCAjdhiZaRtORUJhQgGTPYooo3urLTiGRGNTBQeJd-XTNnXEVuNkVns_8/s1200/61956295dd82d.image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0VD7sk_X1-hKhqF_31LJ1netn2_1L0Tb9mqehPQENqbWmN825h43zXM-EGtMizwySUt83w2znzuy_QVExE_FCAjdhiZaRtORUJhQgGTPYooo3urLTiGRGNTBQeJd-XTNnXEVuNkVns_8/s320/61956295dd82d.image.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <span style="background-color: white; color: #2d2d2d; font-family: PT-Sans; font-size: 20px;">On Nov. 16, 2021, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) </span><a href="https://www.osha.gov/coronavirus/ets2" rel="noopener" style="background-color: white; color: #956e0a; font-family: PT-Sans; font-size: 20px; transition: color 0.3s ease-in-out 0s;" target="_blank">announced</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #2d2d2d; font-family: PT-Sans; font-size: 20px;"> it is suspending all implementation and enforcement efforts related to the Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) on mandatory COVID-19 vaccination and testing in the workplace. The announcement follows the Nov. 12, 2021 </span><a href="https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/21/21-60845-CV0.pdf" rel="noopener" style="background-color: white; color: #956e0a; font-family: PT-Sans; font-size: 20px; transition: color 0.3s ease-in-out 0s;" target="_blank">order</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #2d2d2d; font-family: PT-Sans; font-size: 20px;"> from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals staying enforcement of the ETS pending a final ruling on its legality. OSHA intends to resume implementation and enforcement of the ETS following litigation, if permitted. This newly stated position immediately impacts employers with 100 or more employees who are not federal contractors or otherwise subject to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ guidance. Such employers can breathe easier, as they are no longer faced with Dec. 5, 2021 and Jan. 4, 2022 compliance deadlines associated with implementing a vaccine mandate or weekly testing program. </span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #2d2d2d; font-family: PT-Sans; font-size: 20px;">As more information comes out in the following weeks, we will provide an update. <br /> </span></p>The LL Roberts Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09008854387103570706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479501592661005902.post-43128012218788493272021-09-01T09:10:00.002-05:002021-09-01T09:10:23.790-05:00Is Biden’s death tax a death knell for small business owners?<p> </p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXnH3tfbtvpXIcb7gIWR1wyZXY-Bgen2U2WZVzBclQjruEC2XN8SLKxiSPz4ET38Bk5L6OooJL6NQYUkB27k47KACocsztY4Y_5pcDqZJjQX7gHXWlzf9PUCEVZVhgzASG94Qc7OhOn2g/s1280/16062.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="842" data-original-width="1280" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXnH3tfbtvpXIcb7gIWR1wyZXY-Bgen2U2WZVzBclQjruEC2XN8SLKxiSPz4ET38Bk5L6OooJL6NQYUkB27k47KACocsztY4Y_5pcDqZJjQX7gHXWlzf9PUCEVZVhgzASG94Qc7OhOn2g/w400-h264/16062.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">One of President Biden’s most cherished new tax proposals
is referred to as the “Step-up Tax”, a tax that could devastate many family
businesses. Basically, this is a tax that would immediately be imposed upon the
death of a business owner. It is a tax that is levied on “unappreciated
assets”. Current laws allow those that inherit a business and its related
assets to do so without taxes being imposed on unrealized gains. This proposed
tax could be 40% or more, and very well could lead to many inherited businesses
being sold just to meet this tax obligation. The White House says this tax
would raise over $100 billion in new taxes over the next 10 years.</span><p></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />Many believe
that implementing such a death tax would be opening Pandora’s box for taxation
that might never be closed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Frankly,
taxing unrealized capital gains is a huge controversy. This proposed tax has
opposition from both Republicans and Democrats as they believe that death
should not be a taxable event. The proposed Step-up Tax is something for
business owners to keep an eye on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
will monitor this matter closely and provide updates as we become aware of any.
</span><o:p></o:p></p>The LL Roberts Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09008854387103570706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479501592661005902.post-36765745878465733542021-07-27T09:04:00.000-05:002021-07-27T09:04:06.175-05:00Payroll Protection Program (PPP) loans update<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUaIU4RCT6cL0eDHHNsUZs82VLdw-Q0DK9x7hHKkmeE7rgF6jXm1CORWNA3xIDaRzu4sIF_da-hccmOq359IFrmOj6bkB76WUnMDVqA39U1dBbNZmIKPJ2WbJQRco1oBZ_IEiXA4SYDfQ/s768/ppp+loans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="768" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUaIU4RCT6cL0eDHHNsUZs82VLdw-Q0DK9x7hHKkmeE7rgF6jXm1CORWNA3xIDaRzu4sIF_da-hccmOq359IFrmOj6bkB76WUnMDVqA39U1dBbNZmIKPJ2WbJQRco1oBZ_IEiXA4SYDfQ/w400-h266/ppp+loans.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: left;">The Small Business Administration (SBA) has reported that they
have processed approximately half of the forgiveness applications that they
have received. It is important to point out to small businesses that
applications for forgiveness of your PPP loans are due very soon, for many
prior to the end of July.</div></span><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Remember, if you meet certain criteria for
keeping or rehiring their employees, your PPP loan obligations can be totally
waived! This is significant, as the LL Roberts Group assisted dozens and dozens
of clients with procuring loans that ranged from a couple of thousand to
millions of dollars. It has been reported that more than two million businesses
that received PPP loans have not yet applied for forgiveness. So, if you have
not yet spoken with your PPP lender, it is important that you do so ASAP!</span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>The LL Roberts Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09008854387103570706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479501592661005902.post-65001297038195570562021-05-18T10:56:00.001-05:002021-05-18T10:56:17.115-05:00Texas Announces End to Federal Pandemic-Related Unemployment Benefits<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 1.0pt; margin-top: 1.0pt; mso-pagination: none;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFwyxequleV3WQes1GzGmtMSb5JByoOXC9nkrUwwuGxkrpevxw4QtpMOd6FdXcM9bBoT6P2ksGGp1RVW8g8LOEeDka-sre7_Tb8f8GzdVuknc2HX_tCtjRdXk9VjkE0j81q6L5bCJrxKk/s400/job+openings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="346" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFwyxequleV3WQes1GzGmtMSb5JByoOXC9nkrUwwuGxkrpevxw4QtpMOd6FdXcM9bBoT6P2ksGGp1RVW8g8LOEeDka-sre7_Tb8f8GzdVuknc2HX_tCtjRdXk9VjkE0j81q6L5bCJrxKk/s320/job+openings.jpg" /></a></div><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-currency-font-family: Cambria; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Cambria; mso-default-font-family: Cambria; mso-greek-font-family: Cambria; mso-hebrew-font-family: Cambria; mso-latin-font-family: Cambria; mso-latinext-font-family: Cambria;">Monday May 17th, 2021, Texas aligned with a growing number of states that will stop paying the federally funded $300 in extra pandemic-related weekly unemployment aid during the pandemic.<o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 1.0pt; margin-top: 1.0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-currency-font-family: Cambria; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Cambria; mso-default-font-family: Cambria; mso-greek-font-family: Cambria; mso-hebrew-font-family: Cambria; mso-latin-font-family: Cambria; mso-latinext-font-family: Cambria;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 1.0pt; margin-top: 1.0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-currency-font-family: Cambria; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Cambria; mso-default-font-family: Cambria; mso-greek-font-family: Cambria; mso-hebrew-font-family: Cambria; mso-latin-font-family: Cambria; mso-latinext-font-family: Cambria;">The extra benefits in Texas will end June 26. Gov. Greg Abbott said in a letter to the Biden administration. He joins at least a dozen other governors who are opting out of the additional federal unemployment benefits this summer.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 1.0pt; margin-top: 1.0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-currency-font-family: Cambria; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Cambria; mso-default-font-family: Cambria; mso-greek-font-family: Cambria; mso-hebrew-font-family: Cambria; mso-latin-font-family: Cambria; mso-latinext-font-family: Cambria;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 1.0pt; margin-top: 1.0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-currency-font-family: Cambria; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Cambria; mso-default-font-family: Cambria; mso-greek-font-family: Cambria; mso-hebrew-font-family: Cambria; mso-latin-font-family: Cambria; mso-latinext-font-family: Cambria;">The move came after </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-currency-font-family: Cambria; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Cambria; mso-default-font-family: Cambria; mso-greek-font-family: Cambria; mso-hebrew-font-family: Cambria; mso-latin-font-family: Cambria; mso-latinext-font-family: Cambria;">The Texas Association of Business (TAB) along with several businesses and chambers of commerce sent a letter to Gov.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Abbott to re-examine federal unemployment benefits. In<br /> the letter the organization stated employers increasingly cite the $300 additional weekly federal supplement payment as the biggest barrier to filling job openings.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 1.0pt; margin-top: 1.0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="en-US" style="color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-currency-font-family: Cambria; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Cambria; mso-default-font-family: Cambria; mso-greek-font-family: Cambria; mso-hebrew-font-family: Cambria; mso-latin-font-family: Cambria; mso-latinext-font-family: Cambria;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 1.0pt; margin-top: 1.0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="en-US" style="color: black; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-currency-font-family: Cambria; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Cambria; mso-default-font-family: Cambria; mso-greek-font-family: Cambria; mso-hebrew-font-family: Cambria; mso-latin-font-family: Cambria; mso-latinext-font-family: Cambria;">A recent survey by the </span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-currency-font-family: Cambria; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Cambria; mso-default-font-family: Cambria; mso-greek-font-family: Cambria; mso-hebrew-font-family: Cambria; mso-latin-font-family: Cambria; mso-latinext-font-family: Cambria;">TAB, found business said they are struggling to find workers as they reopen. The association said of the 177 businesses surveyed, 70% said they had several positions currently open. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 1.0pt; margin-top: 1.0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-currency-font-family: Cambria; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Cambria; mso-default-font-family: Cambria; mso-greek-font-family: Cambria; mso-hebrew-font-family: Cambria; mso-latin-font-family: Cambria; mso-latinext-font-family: Cambria;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 1.0pt; margin-top: 1.0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-currency-font-family: Cambria; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Cambria; mso-default-font-family: Cambria; mso-greek-font-family: Cambria; mso-hebrew-font-family: Cambria; mso-latin-font-family: Cambria; mso-latinext-font-family: Cambria;">The read the full letter by Gov. Abbott, </span><a href="https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-announces-end-to-federal-pandemic-related-unemployment-benefits"><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-currency-font-family: Cambria; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Cambria; mso-default-font-family: Cambria; mso-greek-font-family: Cambria; mso-hebrew-font-family: Cambria; mso-latin-font-family: Cambria; mso-latinext-font-family: Cambria; text-decoration: underline; text-underline: single;">click here</span></a><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-currency-font-family: Cambria; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Cambria; mso-default-font-family: Cambria; mso-greek-font-family: Cambria; mso-hebrew-font-family: Cambria; mso-latin-font-family: Cambria; mso-latinext-font-family: Cambria;">. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="en-US" style="language: en-US;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>The LL Roberts Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09008854387103570706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479501592661005902.post-56183852669953590752021-05-10T15:01:00.002-05:002021-05-10T15:01:17.661-05:00OSHA’s New Guidance on Recordability of COVID-19 Vaccine Reactions<p><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHpige7CBolPQg_Q2Vz77P5RswPqdQIrPF14UiiZBWvar-o-RjTQIwiC12y4YwBHu55GVnpEnWvSxii4GGmsbJRPxo-EdWMxpPz5Vgv9v_QaAfXrG0b87Iu90NkI_BcFo1ZZ1X03uSUs/s479/Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="324" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHpige7CBolPQg_Q2Vz77P5RswPqdQIrPF14UiiZBWvar-o-RjTQIwiC12y4YwBHu55GVnpEnWvSxii4GGmsbJRPxo-EdWMxpPz5Vgv9v_QaAfXrG0b87Iu90NkI_BcFo1ZZ1X03uSUs/s320/Capture.PNG" /></a></div><br />OSHA recently released the new guidance for COVID-19 safety compliance. The new guidance from the U.S.<span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;">Occupational Safety and Health Administration is causing contractors to change their COVID-19 vaccine</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;">requirements,</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 14.0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="en-US" style="color: #333333; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: arial;">Several companies began asking for clarification whether an employer should record adverse reactions to COVID-19 vaccination if the employer requires or mandates the vaccine. OSHA replied that if a vaccine is required, then any<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>adverse reaction is considered work-related and therefore it must be recorded. The adverse reaction is recordable if it is a new case under 29 CFR 1904.6 and meets one or more of the general recording criteria in 29 CFR 1904.7. These<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>include: <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 14.0pt; mso-pagination: none;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Death. See § 1904.7(b)(2).</span></li><li><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Days away from work. See §
1904.7(b)(3).</span></li><li><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Restricted work or transfer to
another job. See § 1904.7(b)(4).</span></li><li><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Medical treatment beyond first aid.
See § 1904.7(b)(5).</span></li><li><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Loss of consciousness. See §
1904.7(b)(6).</span></li><li><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A significant injury or illness
diagnosed by a physician or other licensed health care professional. See §
1904.7(b)(7).</span></li></ul><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 14.0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="en-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US;">If you do not require employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine, you do not need to record adverse effects from COVID-19 vaccines that you recommend, but do not require. </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #333333; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 14.0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="en-US" style="color: #333333; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: arial;">In response, several large contractors said they have changed or will change their vaccination policy to only<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>recommend—not require—a vaccine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the same time, several groups have reached out to OSHA to get more context as to the burden the guidance places on contractors. Those groups plan to submit letters to the agency seeking further clarification. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 14.0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="en-US" style="color: #333333; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: arial;">Some of the questions that received clarification can be found here. <a href="https://www.osha.gov/coronavirus/faqs#vaccine">https://www.osha.gov/coronavirus/faqs#vaccine</a><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 14.0pt; mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="en-US" style="color: #333333; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: arial;">We will provide and update is as we get more information regarding the clarification process. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="en-US" style="language: en-US;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>The LL Roberts Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09008854387103570706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479501592661005902.post-66176961928168791792021-03-02T14:11:00.005-06:002021-03-02T14:11:50.315-06:00Gov. Abbott ends statewide mandates starting March 10, 2021<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhero_emE9fqjHZBeyBEnKB4Z32o8FlqGUk28BqKDf0OCpTXTTM0D2cEAzSt3-wnPoQEQ3e1eEc0fZQKa38UXAz-_lSI5mPa-SghwwbRLpTL19h3QqHCYCMxUqF1WGYztdonjL-KOy4ohE/s800/come-in-open-sign-chapter-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhero_emE9fqjHZBeyBEnKB4Z32o8FlqGUk28BqKDf0OCpTXTTM0D2cEAzSt3-wnPoQEQ3e1eEc0fZQKa38UXAz-_lSI5mPa-SghwwbRLpTL19h3QqHCYCMxUqF1WGYztdonjL-KOy4ohE/s320/come-in-open-sign-chapter-12.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) says it's time to "open
Texas 100%" and ended the statewide mask mandate, effective next
Wednesday, March 10, 2021.</span><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The governor delivered a statewide address Tuesday from
Lubbock where he said the state mandates were no longer needed in the battle
against COVID-19 and that he was issuing a new executive order that rescinds
most of his other pandemic-related orders.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The new order allows all businesses of any type to open 100%
and that people will no longer be required to wear face masks in public</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />To reassure local leaders and citizens concerned the removal
of the mask mandate may be coming too soon, Abbott said the executive order
allows for restrictions to return should hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients
top 15% for more than seven consecutive days. In that case, Abbott sad county
judges in those areas would be permitted to use mitigation strategies to
prevent further spread of the disease.</span></p><p style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">However, Abbott said those judges may not jail people for
not following orders, they may not invoke any penalties for not wearing a mask
and they must allow businesses to operate at least 50% occupancy.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p>The LL Roberts Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09008854387103570706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479501592661005902.post-37810991140227993082020-12-31T11:55:00.002-06:002020-12-31T11:55:17.338-06:00New COVID-19 federal relief and PPP loan forgiveness update <p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsTq7jMiKWE4ZRr-nyRqk_BbLX7rGIVjTbfHgunghZ_Z94qCmK_dsd0mxUwcx2cnZE6gRSaJf-QYGQphjvBHIteIs8PAB6OkRY08Ok9nkwMsa_10q2XHxG_kyZ_OeFWx0SqWixiBlaveU/s900/ppp-update.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsTq7jMiKWE4ZRr-nyRqk_BbLX7rGIVjTbfHgunghZ_Z94qCmK_dsd0mxUwcx2cnZE6gRSaJf-QYGQphjvBHIteIs8PAB6OkRY08Ok9nkwMsa_10q2XHxG_kyZ_OeFWx0SqWixiBlaveU/s320/ppp-update.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />On December 27, President Donald Trump signed into law a
supplemental appropriations bill that provides over $900 billion in additional
COVID-19 relief, including $284 billion in added Paycheck Protection Program
(PPP) funds for businesses and organizations needing an initial relief program
loan or a second round of funding.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Key aspects of the original PPP guidelines will continue
under the new relief initiative. Qualified small businesses will be eligible to
receive funds under the PPP in the form of “forgivable loans”. Key changes in
the new law include an additional application window for first-time borrowers
and the opportunity for qualifying borrowers to receive a second PPP loan.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We are still awaiting final rules from the Small Business
Administration (SBA); however here are some highlights: <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Creates
a PPP second-draw loan up to $2 million for smaller and harder-hit businesses
or organizations. Borrowers must have no more than 300 employees and must have
used or will use the full amount of previous PPP funds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, they must show certain reductions in
gross receipts.</b></li><li><b>It
makes simpler the PPP loan application process for second-draw loans under
$150,000 and simplifies the forgiveness application process for all loans under
$150,000, including those that were made before the date of enactment of the
new law.</b></li><li><b>Prohibits
PPP funds from gross income for tax purposes and clarifies that tax-deductible
expenses paid with forgiven PPP loan proceeds will be allowed. This applies to
PPP loans made during the original round of funding earlier this year as well
as during a second round of loans.</b></li><li><b>Increases
the types of expenses eligible for forgiveness to cover operating expenses,
property damage costs, supplier costs, and investments made to comply with
safety guidelines for protecting workers against COVID-19.</b></li><li><b>Allows
eligible borrowers to include qualifying 501(c)(6) nonprofit organizations.</b></li></ul><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The timeline of new PPP loan availability may take several
weeks as banks await guidelines from the SBA on processing new applications.
LLRG will continue to monitor any developments and report such on our blog (<a href="http://www.llroberts.com/">www.llroberts.com</a>). <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The U.S. Treasury and the SBA have continually modified
their PPP guidelines. As a result, you should continue to watch for updates to
the guidelines.<o:p></o:p></p><br /><p></p>The LL Roberts Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09008854387103570706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479501592661005902.post-65944989498689545772020-12-17T09:05:00.004-06:002020-12-17T09:05:46.332-06:00Congress moves closer to new stimulus relief package <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3PmHprftHvuCuTx0Q9r1QjeUxSowhWb3t0pVsuOyM8iq5Am_1l0qE1GPPGPK8aoA0X3JSKR1ADGYVua2T8JFfCK8cYsSFk9j0NuN4Zxq5d3hRcMWjOV-e-r1_UNXgqNxzF4mX4h5LgeA/s2048/StimulusCheckMoney.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3PmHprftHvuCuTx0Q9r1QjeUxSowhWb3t0pVsuOyM8iq5Am_1l0qE1GPPGPK8aoA0X3JSKR1ADGYVua2T8JFfCK8cYsSFk9j0NuN4Zxq5d3hRcMWjOV-e-r1_UNXgqNxzF4mX4h5LgeA/w400-h225/StimulusCheckMoney.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 22.5pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A second stimulus check is officially
back on the menu. After weeks of advancing a COVID-19 relief package without
funding for an extra check, negotiators in Washington are shaping a new $900
billion coronavirus stimulus bill that is said to include a second
stimulus check. Instead of another $1,200 payment, however, the bill will set a
cap of $600 or $700 per person, according to multiple news outlets. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 22.5pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The bipartisan negotiators, including House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, will have only
days to complete a government funding deal by the Friday deadline, as well as
finalize the stimulus package. A vote for the $900 billion stimulus could
arrive as soon as Friday or Saturday, according to reports, with the
legislation starting in the House of Representatives before moving on to the
Senate and then, if it passes both chambers, to President Donald Trump's desk
for a signature.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 22.5pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A coronavirus aid proposal before Jan. 1 is
considered emergency legislation to institute a safety net for expiring
benefits that could leave tens of millions of unemployed Americans
without an income and millions of households facing eviction. A
sweeping deal like the $2 trillion <a href="https://www.cnet.com/news/stimulus-package-how-the-new-heroes-act-compares-to-the-cares-act-from-march/"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">CARES Act from
March</span></a>, which authorized a <a href="https://www.cnet.com/personal-finance/new-stimulus-check-600-vs-700-vs-1200-every-way-your-final-payment-could-change/"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">$1,200 stimulus
check</span></a> for most Americans, is more likely to return to the
table in early 2021, top US leaders have implied. President Donald Trump,
too, <a href="https://twitter.com/kilmeade/status/1338517107882024960" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">has called for</span></a> "more money than they're talking
about" in stimulus checks, and has continued to push for a second check in
the final bill. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">If and when a deal is
secured, the next phase will be for leadership to convince their respective
caucuses to get on board and build enough consensus for it to pass both the
House and Senate. Republicans have been wary of legislation with too large of a
price tag and have at least resisted bills that exceed $1 trillion. Since the
pandemic hit the U.S., Congress passed several relief bills in the spring for a
combined total of about $3 trillion.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Leaders on both sides
have acknowledged that more coronavirus relief will be addressed in the next
administration. We’ll update this story as more develops. <o:p></o:p></span></p>The LL Roberts Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09008854387103570706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479501592661005902.post-44695592503663778212020-08-04T10:26:00.006-05:002020-08-05T10:26:46.800-05:00A Ripple Effect - Small businesses survival is crucial to the U.S. economy! <p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmVYHpbQ4737TM5E_r_Wiyn0YHn6GQubCr0YrjuqfVQGCiFfgKVo2F03FxDJQbyLY5rrWZL6N0bCICi0GAP1dOPLdy2pGUTI_B3ry22NqLFtglOQtjPVngt9eoBhBNnDcLsUfHkMk7qgI/s1900/tim-mossholder-qvWnGmoTbik-unsplash-min.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1267" data-original-width="1900" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmVYHpbQ4737TM5E_r_Wiyn0YHn6GQubCr0YrjuqfVQGCiFfgKVo2F03FxDJQbyLY5rrWZL6N0bCICi0GAP1dOPLdy2pGUTI_B3ry22NqLFtglOQtjPVngt9eoBhBNnDcLsUfHkMk7qgI/w328-h219/tim-mossholder-qvWnGmoTbik-unsplash-min.jpg" width="328" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">With 44% of the domestic GDP being generated by small
businesses, the significance of the fact that more than 3 million of those
companies have closed their doors since the onset of the pandemic cannot be
overstated. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The chief concern that weighs heavily on the minds and
shoulders of the entire world, much less the U.S. economy, is that a
devastating ripple effect will occur if U.S. small businesses are not kept
afloat. Just think about it. The probable chain of events that will occur, if
the trend toward failures within the small business community continues, is
frightening. A worsening unemployment rate is often pointed out as a
repercussion of small business failures; however, the adverse impact of a small
business community collapse is far more reaching than just that. Small
businesses pay a huge portion of the tax revenues for cities, counties, states,
and the federal government. Furthermore, the income, property, and sales taxes
that the employees of small businesses pay is also dependent upon by government.
Without tax revenue, governmental budgets and programs will be crippled and unable
to meet their various local and national obligations. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">While a new round of governmental relief funding will likely
have a price tag that exceeds $1 trillion, the alternative of doing nothing
would be far more costly. There is no other choice but to ensure the ongoing
operations of small businesses across the country. If the government waits to
act, the more small business casualties there will be and the deeper the cut
will become with a much longer lasting scar on the U.S. economy. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It’s true.
There are countless issues and challenges confronting us all, however we
cannot fail to place the needs and survival of small businesses at the
forefront. This is a pivotal moment in our country’s existence -- so let’s get
this right and let’s get it done now. </span></span><br /><br />The LL Roberts Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09008854387103570706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479501592661005902.post-45329167451079415392020-07-07T14:07:00.000-05:002020-07-07T14:07:24.165-05:00The Pending Employment Tax Tsunami<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 1.0pt; margin-top: 1.0pt; mso-pagination: none;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwUxT3jFAygIOEvPdhKKluDuchx5DRYpM_ogV2liy8a5IRDT1XqB-fB-18EDZbrlaBO-t-aC_Itnqi63SNAXbstG7B3brRXTaKD9afZLO7fO2XVDE8eCmtmGc1BtfDsnko1evwM2Q6YMw/s1600/natural-strong-disaster-with-fog-tsunami-waves-from-ocean-with-house-mountains-palms-lighthouse-earthquake-tsunami-wave-hits-sand-beach-illustration_213110-18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="380" data-original-width="626" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwUxT3jFAygIOEvPdhKKluDuchx5DRYpM_ogV2liy8a5IRDT1XqB-fB-18EDZbrlaBO-t-aC_Itnqi63SNAXbstG7B3brRXTaKD9afZLO7fO2XVDE8eCmtmGc1BtfDsnko1evwM2Q6YMw/s400/natural-strong-disaster-with-fog-tsunami-waves-from-ocean-with-house-mountains-palms-lighthouse-earthquake-tsunami-wave-hits-sand-beach-illustration_213110-18.jpg" width="400" /></a><span lang="en-US" style="language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US;">One of the questions that have clients have asked our team recently is “What is going to happen to state and federal unemployment rates after all these unemployment claims have been paid?” </span>That is very good questions as businesses start to look ahead to better times post-COVID pandemic, and honestly, it’s one that bears serious consideration.</div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US;">While researching this answer there have been several opinions offered from governmental agencies and our PEO Industry advisors. Here are a few observations and opinions that we have compiled that you should be aware of:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<li><span lang="en-US" style="language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US;">Several governmental agencies and PEO Industry representatives agree that, ultimately, it will be employers that pay the tab for the astronomical unemployment claims being paid out during the COVID19 crisis. State unemployment fund reserves (used for paying out unemployment claims) have been decimated. No prior unemployment crisis in our nation’s history has been so adversely impactful on these state claims payment reserves. As a result, increased rates, fees, and charges will certainly be levied against the unemployment tax accounts for all employers in all states across the country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The amount of those charges will likely vary by state based on the number and of claims files and unemployment benefits paid out by each state.</span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span lang="en-US" style="language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US;">This pending tax tsunami will most likely impact all employers, regardless of whether their companies laid off any employees during the pandemic or not. What is commonly agreed on by most employment tax experts is that in addition to the normal calculations used to determine each employers’ state unemployment tax rate (commonly referred to as either SUTA or SUI) there will be additional charges and calculations implemented. Most likely these fees or calculations will be classified as some sort of “replenishment tax” that will be applied to all unemployment tax accounts (with no businesses escaping this probable charge). Of course, for those businesses that have experienced an extraordinary number of unemployment claims, they will be even more adversely impacted.</span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span lang="en-US" style="language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US;">Furthermore, we expect the federal unemployment tax rate (referred to as FUTA) to be increased as well. Currently set at .60% of the first $7000 of wages earned by each employee, that rate and possibly the wage cap will most certainly be increased.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span lang="en-US" style="language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US;"><b>The big question that we don’t know yet is… HOW MUCH? </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US;">At the LL Roberts Group, we manage the majority (if not all) of the employment tax administration responsibilities and liabilities for our clients. As these processes likely become even more complex, we have the experience and knowledgeable staff needed to properly manage these employer obligations while minimizing the related costs. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="en-US"><o:p></o:p></span><span lang="en-US">If you have any questions regarding how a PEO can assist with tax compliance for your company, please contact The<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>LL Roberts Group toll free at 877.878.6463 or you can talk to us on </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/LLRobertsGroup"><span lang="en-US" style="font-weight: bold;">Facebook</span></a><span lang="en-US" style="color: black; font-weight: bold;"> </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #444444; font-weight: bold;">or</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: black; font-weight: bold;"> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/LLRobertsGroup"><span lang="en-US" style="font-weight: bold;">Twitter!</span></a></span></div>
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The LL Roberts Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09008854387103570706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479501592661005902.post-91741547600749930362020-07-01T09:15:00.000-05:002020-07-01T09:15:13.396-05:00Senate passes extension of application deadline for PPP small-business loans<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTGIqOroLsfITNRuKqeQatCT1lE4CKsZay8vNOkFmEV_xKgBIs-frUtCKgJmFEWmCfH3t0zvgUkOdmnegUPdWsXKzJYHRxOAFidq6G67Mm-SI66stcD5mpxhToibITo0vbxIdWjZHgmjE/s1600/Capture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="364" data-original-width="256" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTGIqOroLsfITNRuKqeQatCT1lE4CKsZay8vNOkFmEV_xKgBIs-frUtCKgJmFEWmCfH3t0zvgUkOdmnegUPdWsXKzJYHRxOAFidq6G67Mm-SI66stcD5mpxhToibITo0vbxIdWjZHgmjE/s320/Capture.JPG" width="224" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On Tuesday, the Senate passed legislation that extends the deadline for businesses to apply for coronavirus aid under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), that was set to expire at the end of June. The bill, which passed by unanimous consent, moves the deadline for applying for PPP loans (which go to businesses with fewer than 500 employees) until Aug. 8. Under the Paycheck Protection Program there is around $130 billion in unspent money waiting to be issued to small business across the county. There is discussion by Senators that if the money goes unused, that it could be reallocated in another round of a potential coronavirus relief bill that could be voted on next month.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #303030;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The next step is for the House of Representatives to pass the legislation, and send it to the President for his signature to keep the money flowing. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The early mistakes of the loan program have been cleaned up thus helping millions of small businesses stay afloat during the coronavirus pandemic. So far the program has disbursed more than $500 billion to nearly 4.8 million businesses, including mom-and-pop outfits, small local retailers, and a variety other small businesses. </span></div>
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The LL Roberts Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09008854387103570706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479501592661005902.post-27510451113646114302020-06-15T08:54:00.000-05:002020-06-22T09:08:39.056-05:00LLRG's 2nd COVID-19 Business Impact Survey Responses<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTItegFTRg2_Ng1NK7jNQE4YzZoztQfyqlPu_t4Y9jdIrA8c747-tQgohxOGu0uvzWoCzYMYjsaYC_oikrn7GG0CVDcXtZMCQpTd6uMIt-I7vqpPGQXBJGnpc4wUM7PrGh1HjdderBYo0/s1600/Capture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="624" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTItegFTRg2_Ng1NK7jNQE4YzZoztQfyqlPu_t4Y9jdIrA8c747-tQgohxOGu0uvzWoCzYMYjsaYC_oikrn7GG0CVDcXtZMCQpTd6uMIt-I7vqpPGQXBJGnpc4wUM7PrGh1HjdderBYo0/s400/Capture.JPG" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black;">As
many counties have eased their initial lockdowns in the face of the COVID-19
pandemic, business owners and workforce face the thorny challenge of how to
conduct business in a safely manner. The health and safety of our clients and
their workforces is our primary concern. There are a number of measures we are
taking to ensure we manage to safely get through this fluid situation while
continuing to serve our LL Roberts’ Clients and other business owners,
partners, and employees effectively.</span><span style="color: black;"><br />
<br />
With our second confidential survey in the books, our main goal was gathering
any challenges, concerns, and impact it had brought to business owners and their
workforce by answering our brief questionnaire. <br />
<br />
Subsequently, we wanted to share with our clients and other interested
parties to review overall how respondents to our survey have been impacted by
COVID-19. Again, these results do not provide which specific clients
participated in the survey, nor do they identify any specific client regarding
their individual responses given.</span></span><b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">While our survey shows many stayed open,
the coronavirus pandemic has impacted our LL Roberts’ clients and their
workforce in various ways. One common denominator between all business owners
is the execution of cleanliness standards, adding sanitizing supplies
throughout their workplace to maintain a clean and safe environment.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Inspiring words from one of our
respondents: <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">“I insist on believing we will all come
out stronger. Yes, business is down as my clients have had to cut staff and
hours. I will continue to work twice as hard!”</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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The LL Roberts Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09008854387103570706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479501592661005902.post-87862794129059626702020-06-09T10:17:00.000-05:002020-06-09T10:31:17.840-05:00More Changes to the Paycheck Protection Program<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhomqk6QxQVgM0xEiTJUHR3caKMg-yKvItQnSB8D6aLZxbgIy5TNP9WEB2LdN3TblgXfecfhYTbpb0mcuNZ_EdyWCdkdUbZCqkawTIsWljWnzfcAlPmAqM0nJ1nODZ4aIgwXCdc1lOaxuM/s1600/drupal+updating.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="760" data-original-width="1600" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhomqk6QxQVgM0xEiTJUHR3caKMg-yKvItQnSB8D6aLZxbgIy5TNP9WEB2LdN3TblgXfecfhYTbpb0mcuNZ_EdyWCdkdUbZCqkawTIsWljWnzfcAlPmAqM0nJ1nODZ4aIgwXCdc1lOaxuM/s400/drupal+updating.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>The Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act (PPPFA) signed by President Trump </b></div>
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The PPPFA is a huge win for small businesses as it will ease
many of the burdens placed on businesses that received PPP loans. Regardless of
your political affiliation the bipartisan approval of the adjusted PPP loan
forgiveness process gives us all hope that the government is listening and
cares. </div>
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On June 5, 2020, President Trump signed into law the PPPFA to
address the many concerns expressed by the small business community around the
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the loan forgiveness process. Here are
the key elements of the PPPFA that small business owners are likely most
interested in. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>PPPFA changes amount of loan needed for payroll to 60%</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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The biggest concern regarding the PPP loan program was that
it required businesses to spend 75% of the loan on payroll. For those
businesses shut down due to COVID-19, that meant playing the role of
unemployment office while paying their workers to stay home and do nothing. The
PPPFA reduces the amount of the loan needed to be spent on payroll from 75% to
60%, and as a result increases the amount of funds available for non-payroll
related expenses from 25% to 40%. However, bear in mind that the law does not
change the types of expenses eligible for forgiveness. Those expenses include
rent, mortgage payments, utilities, and interest on loans. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>PPPFA extends the time to use PPP funds from 8 to 24
weeks<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Another big issue for small businesses was that the PPP
required businesses to spend the funds in 8-week period from the date funds
were received. Small business owners appealed to have the flexibility to spend
the loan after reopening, especially on payroll when workers returned to work
and were not sitting at home. The PPPFA fixes this issue by extending the time
to spend the loans to 24 weeks. While businesses will still need to spend the
money on payroll and authorized expenses, they now have until the end of 2020
to do so. This should make receiving complete loan forgiveness more likely
since the loan amount was based on one month of 2019 payroll multiplied by 2.5X,
which equals approximately 10 weeks. Businesses will now have the flexibility
to spend the PPP funds when they need to for the remainder of 2020. Also, the
PPPFA does not require businesses to wait for 24 weeks to apply for forgiveness,
however they can still do so after eight weeks if they prefer.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<b>PPPFA pushes back a June 30th deadline to rehire workers
to December 31, 2020<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Small businesses did not like the PPP requirement that all
workers had to be rehired by June 30, 2020 so that their salaries would count
towards forgiveness. Many businesses owners were concerned they might not be
open or not at full capacity by the end of June. Under the PPPFA, small businesses
can now wait until December 31st to rehire workers so that their salaries to
count towards forgiveness. Be aware that the payroll calculation used in the
loan application still applies to the forgivable amount. So, employee
compensation eligible for forgiveness is still capped at $100,000, and until
further guidance, employer owners and contractors are still capped at $15,385. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>PPPFA lessens rehire requirements<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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The intention of the PPP was to keep the same number of
employees on the payroll as was used to calculate the loan, and it required a
business to rehire the same number of full-time employees or full-time
equivalents by June 30th. The only exception to this rule was if an employer
could document in writing an attempt to rehire an employee who rejected this
offer. The PPPFA makes two important changes to these requirements; (1) it extends
the rehire date to December 31<sup>st</sup>, and (2) it adds additional
exceptions for a reduced head count. The law states a business can still
receive forgiveness on payroll amounts if it is unable to rehire an individual
who was an employee of the eligible recipient on or before February 15<sup>th</sup>,
is able to prove an lack of ability to hire similarly qualified employees on or
before December 31st, or is able to demonstrate an inability to return to the
same level of business activity as such business was operating at prior to
February 15th. It is unclear how to “demonstrate the inability to rehire
similarly qualified employees” or what the specification “to demonstrate the
inability to return to previous levels of business activity” is. However, if
60% of the PPP loan is used on payroll throughout the remainder of this year, the
PPP loan will be forgiven. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>PPPFA repayment term is extended from 2 to 5 years<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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The PPPFA reduces the repayment terms in the event some or all
the loan is not forgiven. A small business will now have 5 years at 1% interest
to repay the PPP loan. Also, the first loan payment will be deferred for 6
months after the SBA decides on forgiveness. In accordance with the current
regulations, lenders have 60 days to make a forgiveness determination and the
SBA an additional 90 days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a result, you
could have up until May of 2021 to make the first payment on the PPP loan.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>SBA loan audits are still a possibility <o:p></o:p></b></div>
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While the PPPFA addresses numerous small business owners’
concerns, there are still areas of program that create some angst. For example,
it does not address concerns about SBA audits of loans as outlined in the
Treasury Department “Interim Final Rules”. According to the Treasury
Department’s PPP Loans FAQs, the SBA could audit any loan at its discretion to
determine if “the borrower may be ineligible for a PPP loan, or may be
ineligible to receive the loan amount or loan forgiveness amount claimed by the
borrower.” This includes loans under $2 million, which have a “safe harbor” on the
issue of whether economic uncertainty made the loan necessary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Small businesses, particularly those with PPP
loans of $2 million or more, should prepare to defend why the PPP funds were
financially needed. For instance, did the small business have large cash
reserves or lines of credit it could have tapped to stay afloat during the
shutdown? If so, the SBA could determine the borrower was ineligible for the
PPP loan in the first place. While borrowers should not get overly concerned about
criminal penalties, they could be required to repay the PPP loan in full (i.e.
denied forgiveness of the PPP loan). Most experts do not expect the SBA to
conduct many PPP loan audits based on the sheer number of loans granted. Almost
4.5 million PPP loans have been issued, and there are not enough resources for
lenders and the SBA to deploy thousands of auditors. Most believe that the
focus of any audit efforts will be directed at PPP loans of $2 million or more.
Remember too that the responsibility for accurately calculating the PPP loan
amount and the forgiveness amount is the responsibility of the borrower.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Lastly, all PPP loan borrowers need to consult with their
lenders for specific advice concerning their loan forgiveness processes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not all lenders will offer the same
interpretation of the PPP loan forgiveness guidelines, so getting your lender’s
interpretation concerning your PPP loan is crucial. Overall, we believe that
the PPPFA is just what the doctor ordered for small businesses. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />The LL Roberts Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09008854387103570706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479501592661005902.post-32050217581337036572020-06-08T07:00:00.000-05:002020-06-08T07:00:09.974-05:00Beep-beep—a COVID-19 technology development<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXaAe6C76RrqK_j5lv6jUF1iHDK0ENhom_tjW9HwUso8-lvUxdGyQZx0mBNHbHn0bdtCYgjFI4I0nAG3NeIFpRZvECpE__Q6hiAqomyOZf5ionvFBYeoBiGBG3ktWkm2xykvxDOXBXH78/s1600/image_processing20200501-8875-isw3e.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXaAe6C76RrqK_j5lv6jUF1iHDK0ENhom_tjW9HwUso8-lvUxdGyQZx0mBNHbHn0bdtCYgjFI4I0nAG3NeIFpRZvECpE__Q6hiAqomyOZf5ionvFBYeoBiGBG3ktWkm2xykvxDOXBXH78/s320/image_processing20200501-8875-isw3e.gif" width="320" /></a>While biotechs diligently work to develop treatments and
vaccines for the COVID-19 virus, technology firms are also coming up with
resources to assist businesses during the pandemic. One such example is an
Addison TX firm, Polte Corp. That company is using previously developed
technologies used for badge and elderly panic button devices to create the
Polte Proximity device. This device is worn by employees on their belts or
pockets and emits a “beeping sound” whenever employees enter each other’s space
(based on social distancing guidelines of 6 ft of separation).<br />
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The device will not stop beeping until the
employees separate 6 ft or more. This standalone tool is intended to serve as a
subtle reminder to maintain recommended distancing. One privacy concern addressed
by this device is that it is not a download onto the employee’s personal phone
and does not involve any “contact tracking” of the employee. An added belief is
that it will help employees to feel safer while at work. Target jobs and
industries include office workers, retailers, manufacturing, and distribution
centers; however, it could be used within any type of workplace or job site.<br />
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We understand there are many different opinions regarding the virus, returning to work, and opening up businesses, but it's refreshing to see companies trying to use technology to find that middle ground so we can all get back to normal even sooner.The LL Roberts Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09008854387103570706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479501592661005902.post-86034746641411075452020-06-04T13:10:00.000-05:002020-06-04T13:10:35.000-05:00Gov. Abbott announces Phase III of Texas' plan to safely open the economy while containing the spread of COVID19 <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN7QkvEOOP-U0u3zYea3aSjxR0MvowsSHFvh8nHG6sVBcHTt8jRh5nd30YeYUwq0mxlEJABsbwumGX6FsyAhvoT-H69vbZHpDCPSWItbuCtqE5KQ_a_s6dOAjQ5sCPevDBDRuwPGmm5Qk/s1600/EZoC8exXQAYy3qs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN7QkvEOOP-U0u3zYea3aSjxR0MvowsSHFvh8nHG6sVBcHTt8jRh5nd30YeYUwq0mxlEJABsbwumGX6FsyAhvoT-H69vbZHpDCPSWItbuCtqE5KQ_a_s6dOAjQ5sCPevDBDRuwPGmm5Qk/s640/EZoC8exXQAYy3qs.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The LL Roberts Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09008854387103570706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479501592661005902.post-88714990841133600682020-06-01T15:08:00.000-05:002020-06-01T15:08:28.885-05:00$600 monthly unemployment bonus being debated<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN284lqxtyhYyqxVrNaoRt63afuZtAfIn-KwPXb-okPmMbPEHMkWEJZIpn6nDf0sjp4k6O2XtrjktDObHnVfOS955mv_WKmG1zRIJ_SAjAUTjpp5CF99JOHiCtpjw_XnLjHfwBg3s9rDM/s1600/600.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="703" data-original-width="548" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN284lqxtyhYyqxVrNaoRt63afuZtAfIn-KwPXb-okPmMbPEHMkWEJZIpn6nDf0sjp4k6O2XtrjktDObHnVfOS955mv_WKmG1zRIJ_SAjAUTjpp5CF99JOHiCtpjw_XnLjHfwBg3s9rDM/s400/600.JPG" width="311" /></a></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">There’s an intense debate currently occurring on Capitol Hill regarding additional relief and/or stimulus benefits for small businesses. Both political parties seem to be in agreement that more aid is needed as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic; however what should be included in the next round of legislation is far from certain. One area of disagreement is the $600 a week federally provided extra payments being made to the unemployed. This payment is on top of the standard unemployment benefits paid out by the states. It has resulted in many individuals making a great deal more money than they ever made at their jobs. These $600 extra payments are set to expire July 31st, however House Democrats are proposing that these added unemployment benefits be extended through January. Republicans contend that these payments are a deterrent for the unemployed to return to work. </span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">In fact, we have had numerous clients complain that as they recall workers to return to their jobs, they are refusing because they (the laid off workers) are making far more money staying unemployed that they did at their jobs. The fact is that if an offer to return to work is extended and the laid off worker refuses to return to work, their unemployment benefits will be terminated—that includes the extra $600 per week. </span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-armenian-font-family: Verdana; mso-ascii-font-family: Verdana; mso-currency-font-family: Verdana; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Verdana; mso-default-font-family: Verdana; mso-greek-font-family: Verdana; mso-hebrew-font-family: Verdana; mso-latin-font-family: Verdana; mso-latinext-font-family: Verdana;">We’ll continue to monitor developments regarding this ongoing debate and report any updates on the LL Roberts Group blog. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />The LL Roberts Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09008854387103570706noreply@blogger.com0