News

On Tuesday, Dec. 29, Governor Hutchinson issued Executive Order (EO 20-54) which grants relief to employers whose unemployment rates might have been adversely affected by the economic effects of COVID-19.

Beginning Friday, Jan. 1, 2021, the minimum wage in Arkansas will increase to $11 per hour. In 2018, Arkansas voters approved a ballot initiative to incrementally raise the minimum wage to $11 an hour by 2021. The increase in minimum wage offers employers an opportunity to evaluate their pay practices.

After several rounds of discussion, congressional leaders reached a deal on a new COVID-related stimulus bill. The bill passed both houses of Congress on Monday, Dec. 21 and was signed into law by the President Trump on Sunday, Dec 27. The stimulus package, which totals nearly $900 billion, provides aid for workers and businesses and includes expansions and revisions of existing COVID relief programs.

On Wednesday, Dec. 16, the EEOC released new guidance for employers regarding how the legal requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) will impact administration of the COVID-19 vaccine. That guidance, which came in the form of frequently asked questions, recognizes the complex legal questions that arise with administering a COVID-19 vaccine in an employment context.

On Friday, December 4, the CDC issued new guidance for dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. That guidance recognizes the high levels of community transmission in recent weeks and the need to adopt more stringent measures to slow the spread of the disease.

On Wednesday, the CDC issued revised guidance announcing that the required time for quarantine after exposure to COVID-19 may be reduced from 14 days to 7 or 10 days. The CDC still recommends a quarantine period of 14 days when possible. But the CDC also recognizes that the burden and economic hardship of the 14-day quarantine may reduce compliance.

In McKey v. U.S. Bank Nat’l Ass’n, No. 19-2638 (8th Cir. October 23, 2020), the Eighth Circuit ruled in favor of the employer in a case where an employee alleged it had illegally fired her on account of her age and in retaliation for reporting suspected age discrimination. The Eighth Circuit is the federal jurisdiction of appellate courts that includes Arkansas, and therefore valuable points can be drawn from its analysis on how similar cases will be analyzed in Arkansas.