CURRENT NEWS AND
REGULATORY UPDATES

August 28, 2020 – Beginning January 1, 2021, Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML) benefits will become available in Massachusetts.

August 3, 2020 – The IRS issued Revenue Procedure 2020-36 to index the contribution percentages in 2021 for determining affordability of an employer’s plan under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

August 3, 2020 – The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released draft 2020 forms for reporting under Internal Revenue Code (Code) Section 6056.

On Saturday, July 25, people in Minnesota were required to begin wearing face coverings in all public indoor spaces to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 per Executive Order 20-81 issued by Governor Walz.

July 13, 2020 – After a lengthy notice and comment process, the Department of Education released its long-awaited Title IX rules on sexual harassment on May 6, 2020.

June 29, 2020 – The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) announced the opening of applications for the new Minnesota Small Business Relief Grants Program.

June 26, 2020 – The Governor’s office is requiring all Minnesota businesses to establish and implement a COVID-19 Preparedness Plan by Monday, June 29 per Emergency Executive Order 20-74.

On June 17, 2020, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued an additional answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) about how employers should comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) while also observing all applicable emergency workplace safety guidelines during the coronavirus pandemic.

On June 8, 2020, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued Notice 2020-44, which increases the PCORI fee amount for plan years ending on or after Oct. 1, 2019, and before Oct. 1, 2020, to $2.54 multiplied by the average number of lives covered under the plan.

June 9, 2020 – This is a reminder your 2019 PCORI fee is due July 31, 2020.

May 27, 2020 – The U.S. Department of Treasury (Treasury) and the Small Business Administration (SBA) recently released the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan Forgiveness Application (Application) and instructions (Instructions) for small businesses to use when applying for PPP loan forgiveness with their lender.