Posts Tagged ‘COVID-19’

As Pennsylvania transitions from Red to Yellow, significant restrictions will continue to limit our public interactions, and safety for ourselves and our loved ones requires continued separation.  However, these restrictions do not prevent you from assuring that important estate documents like Wills and powers-of-attorney are in place, updating those documents or health care directives to meet your needs, and making certain that your family and loved ones are protected.   At any time, having your Will and estate documents in place provides protection and peace of mind.  During the current emergency, the protection of good estate planning is essential.  Fortunately, our Legislature has acted… read more »

Pursuant to the Right-to-know law (RTKL) Advisory, the Office of Open Records (OOR) has new advice for agencies within “yellow” status counties. These agencies should continue processing RTKL requests and appeals as usual. If an appeal is negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the agency or requestor cannot meet a required deadline, the OOR may prolong the appeal deadline. In particular, agencies located within a county transitioning into “yellow” status may need to provide evidence showing why the appeal deadline needs to be extended. In regards to offices being closed, any day that falls within an office closure is… read more »

The Small Business Administration (SBA), together with the Department of the Treasury, continue to offer additional guidance regarding the implementation of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), established by section 1102 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). The guidance is offered in a Frequently Asked Questions format (see link below). Paycheck Protection Program Loans FAQs This resource is reliable since it contains SBA’s interpretation of the CARES Act and of the Paycheck Protection Program Interim Final Rules (see link below). The U.S. government will not challenge lender actions that conform to the PPP guidance found on… read more »

While the Right-to-Know Law (RTKL) continues to be in effect for most municipal entities, its function has been temporarily suspended for the Commonwealth due to the current COVID-19 emergency. Pursuant to Section 901 of the law, all requests must receive a response within five business days – excluding days closed for business. If an agency faces “bona fide issues” related to this pandemic, the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records’ (OOR) advisory permits temporary suspensions exceeding the scope of that law. The OOR recommends the agency seek their solicitor’s advice before taking this recourse. Under Act 15, municipalities operating under an… read more »

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to adversely impact the economy, Governor Tom Wolf signed an executive order extending the moratorium on foreclosures and evictions in Pennsylvania. As a result, banks cannot process foreclosures and landlords cannot process evictions in Pennsylvania for another two months. This means that no Pennsylvania resident will be removed from their home due to an eviction or foreclosure until July 10, 2020. It is important to note that unless a homeowner has made an agreement with their mortgage lender or a renter has made an agreement with their landlord to the contrary, mortgage payments and rental… read more »

COVID-19 Update: Qualified Disaster Relief Payments Employers may pay or reimburse employees for necessary or reasonable expenses incurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. These disaster relief payments can be made tax-free. This article will provide information on taxation, amount, use, and substantiation of these payments. Typically, employers are taxed for all money that they give to their employees; however, the Internal Revenue Code (Section 139) specifies an exception for “qualified disaster relief payments” paid when there is a federally declared disaster. The COVID-19 pandemic officially qualified when the President declared a “national emergency” on March 13, 2020. Disaster… read more »

CGA offers a primer on preparing your team to return to work. CGA Law firm’s experienced team of employment attorneys will provide proactive business leaders at all levels with an engaging and interactive update of employment laws and a primer on preparing your team of employees to return to work. The featured speakers, Attorneys Zach Nahass and Christine Nentwig, are Co-Chairs of the Labor and Employment Law Department at CGA Law Firm. Join our CGA experts for an enjoyable and informative working-lunch during which hosts will encourage participants to share their insights, ask questions, and share valuable tips. We look forward to seeing you there!… read more »

Earlier this month, the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) offered the first round of relief to small businesses under 500 employees by providing needed capital to cover payroll, utilities, rent, insurance, and loan payments (see PPP program description below). For businesses unable to take advantage of these loans in the first round, there is another opportunity! Payroll Protection Program. The SBA’s Payroll Protection Program (PPP) is designed to help businesses maintain their workforce by enabling small businesses to cover payroll and other expenses for eight weeks during the COVID-19 crisis. The loans cover up to $10 million and may… read more »

Article by: Attorney Timothy Bupp and Paralegal Cori Spisak Earlier this week, our Legislature acted to make Pennsylvanians safer by strengthening the use of remote notarization in the Commonwealth. Act 15 of 2020, signed by Governor Wolf on April 20, gives statutory support to the Governor’s previous Executive Orders on remote notary. Notaries can now assist with the signing, witnessing and notarization of legal documents without the signors physically appearing before the notary agent.  Act 15 also expands the use of remote notary to a wider range of documents and to signors outside of the boundaries of our Commonwealth. These protections will… read more »