Now that people who have been vaccinated are allowed to throw away their masks, the question on people’s minds is, “How do we enforce that?” Employers want to know if they can ask their employees for proof of vaccination.
Surprisingly, yes.
Most employers are allowed to ask their employees for proof that they have received vaccines. Asking for proof of a vaccine does not violate HIPAA or the ADA.Continue Reading Can Employers Ask Their Employees for Proof of Vaccination?
Bankruptcy helps people who can no longer pay their debts get a fresh start.
This is the statement that comes at the very top of the page for the United States Bankruptcy Courts. Every accountant and attorney who has ever taken a class on Bankruptcy has heard this said in the first five minutes of the first day of class.
Bankruptcy is first and foremost a societal method to help a person who cannot pay their debts (the “Debtor”). Current Bankruptcy laws also try to make things as fair as possible to the people who are owed money (the “Creditors).
But we always need to remember that Bankruptcy is there to protect the Debtor.Continue Reading Condominiums, Homeowners’ Associations and Bankruptcy: What is Bankruptcy?
Collection of assessments is one of the biggest headaches for many Community Associations. Most of the time, collections follow a standard process. It might be slow and take several steps. But, since assessments are liens on the unit and since an Association can collect all of its attorneys’ fees and costs, an Association can collect all of its assessments most of the time.
However, when a Unit Owner files for Bankruptcy, the collection process changes.
I have worked with a number of Associations who thought that once a Unit Owner filed for Bankruptcy, they had to write off all of their uncollected assessments.
I also have seen plenty of others do nothing while the Bankruptcy process lumbers on. This just makes the already large delinquency even bigger.
Associations can collect unpaid assessments when a Unit Owner is in Bankruptcy. Continue Reading Condominiums, Homeowners’ Associations and Bankruptcy: How Does a Unit Owner Bankruptcy Affect Collections?
As expected, the Governor’s office and the Department of Health (DOH) have released updated guidance to help bars, restaurants, hotels and others implement the updated mitigation orders that will allow many businesses to increase their capacity starting April 4. Here is a link to the full guidance, as well as a link here for updated FAQ’s issued by the Department of Health, but I highlight a few of the main items below.
You can resume bar service provided you implement the following rules.
Continue Reading Updated Restaurant Guidance for April 4th Increased Capacity
On January 1, 2021, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (the “Defense Bill”) was enacted into law. This Defense Bill contained the Corporate Transparency Act (the “Act”). The Act is designed to collect beneficial ownership information for Reporting Companies for several specific reasons including, but not limited to:
Generally, an entity is considered a Reporting Company if it is:Continue Reading The Corporate Transparency Act: What Does it Mean for Your Small Business
One year ago today, on March 18, 2020, Aaron Marines wrote a blog article entitled How Does Coronavirus Affect Your Contracts? When that article was published, we were at the beginning of a government-mandated shutdown that was supposed to last for two weeks, just long enough to “flatten the curve” of COVID-19 cases.
Now, one year later, with shut down orders still partially in effect and the phrase “flatten the curve” a distant memory, I decided to look back at what has happened on the Lancaster Law Blog. What I saw was a variety of articles about all of the things we here at Russell, Krafft & Gruber have done to stay up-to-date on the fast-paced changes to help our clients through this difficult time.
After the initial shutdown orders took effect, we quickly pivoted to working remotely through Russell, Krafft & Gruber’s virtual office to avoid any lapses in service for our clients. I was pleasantly surprised when I spoke with a client recently who was shocked to learn that most of our conversations over the past year took place with me at my dining room table.Continue Reading COVID-19 and the Law: One Year Later
The Governor’s office has just announced that bars and restaurants can, starting at midnight on April 4, 2021, begin operating at 75% capacity, provided they have completed the self-certification process.
For those that didn’t self-certify, that process is done online and requires you to certify that you will comply with CDC and Department of Health guidance relating to public health and safety measures to stem the spread of COVID-19. If you have not self-certified (and do not wish to now), you will be allowed to operate at 50% capacity. Currently, locations that don’t self-certify must operate at 25% capacity.
Regardless of whether you have self-certified or not, requirements such as mask-wearing and social distancing still apply.Continue Reading Increased Occupancy up to 75% for Bars and Restaurants in PA – Effective April 4
At the end of 2020 and beginning of 2021, airlines began changing their rules with respect to emotional support animals. United, American, Delta, Jet Blue and Southwest Airlines (as well as many local and regional air carriers) have decided that emotional support animals are not permitted on flights. Trained service dogs, however, are still permitted on flights.
Despite these recent changes, the rules that apply to airlines are not the same as the ones that apply to housing. I have written a number of posts about emotional support animals and where they can go:
These blog posts cover situations when someone requests an emotional support animal in relation to housing. These cases often come up when a condominium or apartment building does not permit pets and someone requests a reasonable accommodation to allow a support animal.
In today’s post, I want to make sure that associations and landlords do not get confused and try to follow the recent examples of the airlines.Continue Reading Are Dogs Allowed on Airlines? An Update on Emotional Support Animals
Last week, the Governor signed into law Senate Bill 109, which included $145 Million of funds allocated specifically for grants to the restaurant and hotel industries. The Bill intentionally included some swift deadlines for Counties to accept applications and allocate funds.
This week, the Lancaster County Commissioners approved an Agreement with the Economic Development Company (EDC) of Lancaster to administer the funds allocated to the County under the COVID-19 Hospitality Industry Recovery Program (CHIRP). Along with that Agreement comes some additional specifics for the program that interested applicants should know.
Congress has allocated $6,181,069 to Lancaster County for distribution to eligible applicants.
More importantly, since the County has engaged the EDC to distribute other recovery funds, the EDC was able to quickly create program parameters and should also be able to quickly roll out an application.Continue Reading Lancaster EDC to Administer COVID-19 Hospitality Industry Recovery Program (CHIRP)
After months of uncertainty about whether additional relief for restaurants and hotels would come from state and federal government sources, some good news has started to flow to the hotel and restaurant industry. The latest comes in the form of a $145 Million allocation of funds to provide grants to those restaurants and hotels that have been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Friday, as part of a larger $900+ Million relief package aimed at helping businesses, local governments, and others, the Governor signed Senate Bill 109. This Bill allocates $145 Million previously transferred from the PA Workers’ Compensation Fund and designates it for the exclusive purpose of providing grants to hotels and restaurants.Continue Reading $145 Million in Relief for Restaurants and Hotels