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Thursday, April 1, 2021
In response to public demands for greater equity and inclusion in the workplace, on March 23, 2021, Governor J.B. Pritzker approved extensive changes to the Illinois Humans Rights Act, the Illinois Equal Pay Act and the Business Corporation Act. The measures place new limits on employers’ use of conviction records when making employment decisions. They also require larger employers to obtain an “equal pay registration certificate” and submit diversity data to the State for publication. Illinois employers must act quickly to comply with the new conviction record requirements, and larger employers should begin preparing now for the new reporting requirements. Below are some key takeaways for employers regarding these sweeping new measures.
Legal Disclaimer
You are responsible for reading, understanding and agreeing to the National Law Review s (NLR’s) and the National Law Forum LLC s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy before using the National Law Review website. The National Law Review is a free to use, no-log in database of legal and business articles. The content and links on www.NatLawReview.com are intended for general information purposes only. Any legal analysis, legislative updates or other content and links should not be construed as legal or professional advice or a substitute for such advice. No attorney-client or confidential relationship is formed by the transmission of information between you and the National Law Review website or any of the law firms, attorneys or other professionals or organizations who include content on the National Law Review website. If you require legal or professional advice, kindly contact an attorney or other suitable professional advisor.
Whether a one-time payment of benefits constitutes an employee benefit plan under ERISA has been the source of consternation. The Fifth Circuit, in Atkins v. CB&I, LLC, considered the issue and held that a bonus conditioned on completing a project was not an ERISA severance plan.
Thursday, April 1, 2021
On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed into law the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), which extends and expands several provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA).
Tax Credit Extensions
As employers will recall, the FFCRA tax credit had been extended through March 31, 2021 to qualifying employers that voluntarily chose to continue to provide Emergency Paid Sick Leave (EPSL) or Emergency Paid Family Leave (EPFL). The ARPA has now extended the FFCRA from April 1, 2021 through September 30, 2021.
Emergency Paid Sick Leave and Emergency Paid Family Leave Extensions
Under the ARPA, employers are eligible for the tax credit if employers voluntarily provide employees up to 80 hours of EPSL from April 1, 2021 through September 30, 2021. This includes employees who have already used their 80 hours under the FFCRA, essentially creating a refresh of EPSL for all employees.