Emergency Regulation on Mandatory Vaccinations for Health Facility Workers
The Public Health and Health Planning Council and the Commissioner of Health approved emergency regulations on August 26, 2021 to help combat the increasing circulation of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant. When filed, the new regulations will supersede the order announced August 16 by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo for hospital and nursing home workers, but without any religious exemption from the...Read MoreTrademark Modernization Act Signed Into Law for Federal Trademark Owners in New York and Beyond
The United States Patent and Trademark Office signed the Trademark Modernization Act (“TMA”) into law last year, prompting future changes for federal trademark owners in New York state and nationally. The Act will formally be implemented on December 27th, 2021. Although the TMA offers trademark owners additional tools, it also expands trademark cancellation mechanisms that might cause some...Read MoreHow Biden’s Executive Order Could Impact Healthcare Law in New York
On July 9th President Biden signed an expansive executive order aimed at promoting competition in the American economy, prompting possible changes to healthcare laws in New York. This order established 72 initiatives involving more than a dozen federal agencies to tackle some of the most pressing competition problems in the US economy, with a specific focus on medical and pharmaceutical...Read MoreNew York’s Marijuana Legalization from the Perspective of DWI Attorneys
With Governor Cuomo recently signing the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act into law, many legal professionals speculate whether New York will see an increase in impaired driving arrests following the legalization of recreational marijuana. Although possession of a small amount of marijuana for recreational use in now legal, a person can still face criminal prosecution for operating a motor...Read MoreNY HERO ACT INFECTIOUS DISEASE PREVENTION PLANS: WHAT ALL PRIVATE EMPLOYERS NEED TO KNOW
The New York Health and Essential Rights Act (HERO Act) was signed into law by Governor Andrew Cuomo on May 5, 2021. The HERO Act added two new sections to the New York Labor Law: Section 218-b, requiring all private employers to adopt airborne infectious disease prevention plans and standards; and Section 27-D, requiring private employers with 10 or more employees to allow the creation and...Read MoreOSHA Issues Emergency Temporary Standard for Healthcare Employers
On June 21, 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) adopted its COVID-19 Healthcare Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS). Employers providing health care services will be required to comply with new COVID-19 specific standards to protect their workforces. The ETS focuses on protections for unvaccinated or otherwise “at-risk” workers, who are described as those that “cannot...Read MoreLegalization of Cannabis: What This Means for Employment Law in New York
Several years after legislation was first introduced, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act into law on March 31st, 2021, making New York the state to have most recently legalized recreational marijuana use by individuals who are at least 21 years old. This act has been several years in the making, with medical cannabis use having been legalized in...Read MoreCommercial Finance Law and New York’s Truth in Lending Act
In July 2020, the State of New York passed the Truth in Lending Act, designed to improve transparency in borrowing costs. The bill requires clearer language from lenders so that businesses can more easily compare financing offers. According to the Responsible Business Lending Coalition, the bill requires all lenders to disclose annual percentage rate and repayment terms for loans. This law has...Read MoreHow Biden’s Labor Department Pick Could Affect Construction Law in New York
Amidst many changes in the transition from a Trump to Biden presidency, one that stands out in particular is the nomination of Boston Mayor Marty Walsh as labor secretary. Mayor Walsh, a former leader of the Boston Building and Construction Trades Council and former head of the Laborer’s Union, boasts widespread union support and mirrors Biden’s agenda for a worker-friendly labor department....Read MorePotential Landlord Liability For Tenant-on Tenant Harassment Under Federal Fair Housing Act Is Clarified
A potentially large legal development occurred last week when the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (a federal appeals court which covers NY, CT and VT), held that, under some narrow circumstances, a landlord will not be held liable under the federal Fair Housing Act (“FHA”) for a tenant’s harassment of another tenant when the tenant being harassed is a member of a protected class. A...Read MoreLandlord-Tenant/Co-op Issues New Required Notice To Tenants
New York State has mandated that owners of residential rental properties must notify residential tenants of the tenants’ right to request (a) reasonable accommodations of rules, policies, practices, procedures and services and (b) reasonable modifications to their apartments or common areas, when such reasonable accommodations or reasonable modifications are necessary to allow a person with...Read More