Welcome to the Coronavirus Update! As always, please visit the IEC Coronavirus Resources dropbox and Coronavirus Update webpage, two resources that provide specific information to help your businesses and employees. DHS Updates I-9 Verification Flexibility and Compliance |  In March 2020, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced their intent to relax the requirements for performing in-person verification of documents presented for Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, given the challenges employers faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. The current end date for this policy is March 31, 2021. Employers should check to see if the flexible rules continue to apply to their worksites after March 31. Read More
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Report Ranks the Best Places to Do Business in the U.S. |  The COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect the global economy, and the business community is increasingly considering the most and least employer-friendly places to open shop in the U.S. The Arizona State University Center for the Study of Economic Liberty recently released Doing Business North America 2020 (DBNA), a report analyzing data to help answer this question. The report ranks 130 cities across Canada, Mexico, and the United States based on 111 variables to determine the best places to do business. Read More
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OSHA Issues Proposed Rule to Update Its Hazard Communication Standard |  Employers have been on the lookout for a temporary emergency standard for COVID-19 from OSHA, but to date have only seen a proposed rule to update the agency’s Hazard Communication Standard. Read More
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DOL Expands UI Eligibility  On February 25, the DOL’s Employment and Training Administration issued new guidance that expands the circumstances in which workers may be eligible to receive Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA)—the CARES Act unemployment insurance (UI) program for workers who are not traditionally eligible for unemployment insurance (such as independent contractors).
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