On July 8, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that teachers of religious instruction at private religious schools are barred from bringing employment discrimination claims against their employer. In doing so, the Court clarified and expanded upon the “ministerial exception” previously articulated by the Court in 2012. In 2012, the Court had recognized that religious
As the COVID-19 pandemic eases a bit in Connecticut, other states are now seeing record high numbers of cases. As a result, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont has issued new Executive Order No. 7BBB mandating that visitors from certain states with high numbers of cases self-quarantine. For employers, this new self-quarantine rule will add still
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently issued guidance to answer frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the proper use of cloth face masks “at work” during the COVID-19 pandemic. The OSHA guidance must be read in conjunction with any applicable state rules and orders, many of which currently mandate that employees wear a
On June 16, 2020, in anticipation of the Phase Two reopenings of some businesses, Governor Ned Lamont issued Executive Order 7ZZ repealing some prior orders and issuing new rules for businesses that are allowed to reopen. In doing so, however, Executive Order 7ZZ adds a new complexity to the rules that might be followed.
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Connecticut’s anti-discrimination statutes explicitly list sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes, and therefore gay and transgender employees are protected from workplace discrimination by state law. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (“Title VII”) does not contain such explicit protections, however, and therefore it was unclear whether federal law similarly protected
Over the weekend, Governor Ned Lamont of Connecticut issued updated rules to allow for a new series of businesses to reopen on June 17, 2020. These guidelines continue the previously-issued guidance relating to Phase One businesses by providing science-driven directives.
The Governor’s stated goal for this next series of reopenings is to “proactively protect public
On June 1, 2020 Governor Lamont issued Executive Order 7UU, which creates mandatory COVID-19 testing requirements for staff working at nursing homes and assisted living facilities, and modifies the definition of “suitable work” in the State’s unemployment regulations. Employers should take notice of the potential expansion of the unemployment regulations under this Executive Order.
The
Over the weekend, Governor Ned Lamont issued rules to allow certain Connecticut businesses to reopen on May 20th. These guidelines aim to provide specific, science-driven directives applicable to all open businesses generally and individual sectors specifically.
While the goal of the State’s phased reopening is to “speed up the pace of economic, educational, and community
As we discussed in prior posts, the CARES Act made five significant changes to unemployment benefits in response to the COVID-19 pandemic:
On April 24, 2020, the Paycheck Protection Program and Healthcare Enhancement Act (the “Enhancement Act”) was signed into law. The Enhancement Act increases the amount of funds appropriated under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the CARES Act) by providing an additional $310 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), $50 billion for