News

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.

The Business and Commercial Services office of the Arkansas Secretary of State (AR SOS) will be closed beginning at noon on December 30, 2020 and will not reopen until January 4, 2021. Any company wishing to dissolve before the end of the year must do so prior to noon on December 30, 2020.

Some good news to end 2020: Our annual Friday Cares Holiday Donation Drive raised more then $5,500 to help feed those struggling with hunger in Arkansas. We also collected non-perishable food items that, along with the money raised, was sent to the Arkansas Foodbank, The Salvation Army of Northwest Arkansas and the Junior Auxiliary of Saline County.

Friday, Eldredge & Clark, LLP is proud to announce Mid-South Super Lawyers named 50 attorneys to their annual listing of top lawyers in Arkansas including eight named as “Top 50: 2020 Arkansas Super Lawyers” and 14 ranked as “Rising Stars.”

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.