By Alicia J. Samolis and Michael A. Gamboli The Value of Arbitration Clauses It is not uncommon for employers to require that all employment related disputes with employees be resolved by binding arbitration and not in court. Advantages of arbitration can include: (i) significant cost savings in legal fees in defense of a claim; (ii)...
Rhode Island House Speaker Joe Shekarchi seems to think so. While he has been quoted in local media saying that while the legislature is “still not there” on a final product, he is at least ready to say that “we’ve worked down to almost one issue that’s left.” That specific issue, it seems, is who...
By Eugene G. Bernardo II and David M. DiSegna The IRS has issued final regulations governing the tax consequences of transitions from Interbank Offered Rates (IBORs) to other reference rates in debt instruments. The final regulations adopt many of the proposed regulations that the IRS released on October 9, 2020, with some important changes. The...
By Alicia J. Samolis and Michael A. Gamboli Employers with 100 or more employees can breathe a sigh of relief as the United States Supreme Court has come to the rescue and blocked the Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) put in place by OSHA. How Did We Get Here? On November 5, 2021, OSHA published the...
The State of Rhode Island has passed legislation that changes the annual report filing period for corporations, domestic and foreign limited liability companies (LLCs), and non-profits registered in Rhode Island. All LLCs, corporations, and non-profits are required to file an annual report starting the calendar year after they register their business with the State of...
By John E. Ottaviani or David M. DiSegna The United States Patent and Trademark Office’s Final Regulations implementing the Trademark Modernization Act of 2020 went into effect on December 18, 2021. The regulations provide for two new ex parte proceedings for expungement and reexamination of unused registered trademarks, which aim to facilitate removal of fraudulent and unused...
Can the President unilaterally legalize marijuana under federal law? In early November, Congressional researchers concluded that, while President Biden cannot directly remove marijuana from control under federal controlled substances laws, he could order executive agencies to consider either moving marijuana to a different schedule so that it could be legally possessed and sold or changing...
Minimum Wage Increase As set forth by legislation passed in 2018, the minimum wage in Massachusetts will increase to $14.25 per hour on January 1, 2022. This amounts to a 75-cent jump from the current minimum wage of $13.50 per hour and is the second to last scheduled increase under current law. The minimum wage...
By Eugene G. Bernardo II and David M. DiSegna On November 15, 2021, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was signed into law and will provide over $1 trillion in funding for a wide array of infrastructure projects. The act also includes certain provisions affecting tax-exempt bonds, including the addition of two new categories of...
By Alicia J. Samolis OSHA has released its over 400-page rule for private employers with more than 100 employees to test their unvaccinated workers (click here for summary). The compliance date for the major part of the rule is January 4, 2022, with some other components effective December 5, 2021. The rule does not require...
